


Chasing the Sun

by kurisuo



Category: Joker Game (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1980s, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Based on the Korean drama "Tunnel", F/M, M/M, Multi, Tunnel (2016)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:08:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25636318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurisuo/pseuds/kurisuo
Summary: The year is 1986. Detective Takahide Sakuma is a sharp young man dedicated to keeping his town safe. A new and unusual series of deaths leads to him chasing a suspect down a tunnel. When he makes it to the other side, he finds himself 30 years into the future, in the year 2016. He meets Hiro Miyoshi, a narcissistic but brilliant detective, and Violent Crime Unit D, a group of eccentric detectives who are better than almost any Sakuma has ever seen. When the criminal Sakuma was looking for starts killing again in the same way they did 30 years ago, Sakuma teams up with Unit D to catch them once and for all.
Relationships: Gamou Jirou/Jitsui, Hatano/Alain Lernier, Kaminaga/Tazaki (Joker Game), Miyoshi/Sakuma (Joker Game), Nogami Yuriko/Odagiri, Odagiri & Sakuma (Joker Game), Sakuma & Amari (Joker Game), Sakuma & Honma, Sakuma & Yuuki & Honma, Sakuma & Yuuki (Joker Game)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue

“Get back here, you scum!” Detective Takahide Sakuma yelled out. His footsteps echoed in the tunnel he was currently running through and they mixed with those of the criminal he was currently chasing. Said criminal showed no signs of slowing down and Sakuma ran even harder. “I won’t let you get away!”

The tunnel was poorly lit, and it was just Sakuma’s luck that his lantern had malfunctioned earlier that night. (He still held it just in case.) He had to rely on his own eyesight but he could barely make out the criminal’s silhouette. Still, it was a tunnel. Only way to go was straight ahead.

Sakuma chased them until suddenly, the silhouette vanished. He stopped and looked around confused. _ Just where could they have disappeared to? _ he wondered. All of a sudden, he felt himself being pulled while something hit the back of his head. He fell, and it hurt like a bitch. 

Sakuma looked up and the tunnel lights suddenly seemed brighter. He groaned in pain, though he wouldn’t have heard it with all the ringing in his ears. His vision was blurring, and he could just barely make out the criminal’s outline as they calmly walked away. He reached out towards them.  _ The culprit that I’ve been wanting to catch for so long is right in front of me!  _ He tried getting up, but he couldn’t move...

He could feel himself begin to lose consciousness. He tried to stay awake, but the outline kept getting smaller and smaller. His head felt like it had been split in half. He lay helplessly on the ground, cursing himself for failing at his job. For failing to protect his town. 

_ I, Takahide Sakuma, have been a homicide detective for 3 years now. I’ll follow them until I finally catch them!  _ The criminal faded into the light. Sakuma promised himself he would catch this piece of shit no matter what it took. But for all his anger and resolve, he couldn’t stay awake, and he eventually passed out. 


	2. Summer of '85

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning:  
> \- Descriptions of dead bodies  
> \- Implied rape of a minor. (Did not occur, but it's mentioned.)

It was a bright and sunny day in the small town of Tomusawa, Japan. Children were playing along the river bank, flying kites and skipping rocks and all that wonderful stuff. But for Detective Takahide Sakuma, today was just not his day. 

“Stop thief!” He cried out. He ran straight along a trail by the river as his boss, Chief Detective Eiji Honma, rode a bike beside him. His partner and mentor, Akira Yuuki, was not far behind.

“‘Stop thief?’ Did you really think that would work?” The thief mocked. And somehow he managed to pick up speed, putting more distance between himself and the detective.

“Ugh, that scumbag!” Sakuma huffed angrily as he tried to run faster as well.

The thief turned sharply and went into the wheat fields, probably hoping that the tall stalks would hide him. 

“You’re not getting away!” Sakuma finally manages to pick up his pace and follows the thief, leaving the other 2 detectives behind.

It seemed like the thief _was_ going to get away, but he tripped over something and fell face first into some mud. Sakuma rushed to apprehend him, and the thief looked unusually panicked as he resisted. 

“Don’t try to pull any tricks with me. Putting on a show like that won’t work.” The thief continued blubbering and pointing at something in front of him, and Sakuma decided he may as well look at whatever it was. 

He froze. 

The corpse of a young woman… A panty hose was wound tightly around her neck, a clear sign of death via asphyxiation. Her shoes and purse were set neatly beside her. Her long skirt was bunched up, but thankfully it wasn’t revealing too much, just her calves and below. Her cardigan had been ripped in half, and each half was tied around her wrists and ankle. Judging by the decay, her body hasn’t been here for more than a day or two. Her skin was a ghastly bluish-gray, and combined with her wide-open eyes… It was enough to give the average person nightmares for years to come.

Well. It was no wonder the thief looked so terrified.

Chief Honma arrived next, and he was also shocked by that decaying body. He looked at Sakuma with a horrified expression. Yuuki caught up to them, and when he saw the body, he approached it calmly and began taking notes and pictures. The thief freed himself from Sakuma’s grasp but he didn’t bother escaping. Instead, he went deeper into the fields and started vomiting. Sakuma didn’t blame him. The sight and smell was nauseating, and the foul stench of decay was something he’d never get used to.

As the thief continued to retch in the background, Sakuma remained fixated on the body. Whatever monster had done this, he was determined to find them and lock them up for the rest of their miserable lives. 

* * *

“Reporter Shizuka! Don’t you think you went a little too far this time?” Sakuma yelled into his phone. He stared at the newspaper on his desk in disbelief. His own angry face stared back at him, and the woman’s body was visible in the background. “I told you not to take any pictures! Much less publish them! Are you trying to advertise this young lady’s death or something? Don’t you feel sorry for the victim’s family at all? What if it had been your sister who had died? Would you like it then? Huh?” He continued to give the person on the other end the lecture of a lifetime. Reporter Hajime Shizuka tried to defend himself, but Sakuma wasn’t having any of his excuses. 

Sakuma realized he was getting nowhere by yelling at the reporter and hung up. Around him, the Tomusawa Police Station’s Violent Crime Division was hard at work trying to solve this unusual case. He stood up to stretch, but suddenly, Honma and Yuuki were upon him. 

“Spray the water,” the Chief ordered, and Yuuki obeyed. Sakuma winced as the water made his hair damp, and some of it almost got in his eyes. He turned to glare at Yuuki, but his mentor only smirked back at him, waving the spray bottle at him mockingly. Honma pulled out a comb and started fussing over Sakuma’s hair. 

“What do you two think you’re doing?” Sakuma protested. He tried to pull away, but the Chief was persistent. He styled Sakuma’s fluffy dark hair a few different ways, and had Yuuki hit him with the spray a couple more times, until he was finally satisfied with his work. 

“Ah, what a handsome young man you are, Sakuma!” The Chief held a mirror up to him, grinning with pride. [Sakuma’s hair](https://channel-korea.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2PM-Taecyeon-pinterestcom.jpg) had been styled back and Yuuki said it made him look like the rebellious son of a wealthy family. Sakuma had to admit that he didn’t look too bad considering how he’d barely slept since last night after they found the body. “Did you brush your teeth after lunch? Did you remember to wash your face? Your eye bags are looking a little heavy... Quickly, Yuuki! Bring the makeup kit!” 

“Wait, what?” Sakuma was about to go off on the Chief, their rankings be damned, but Yuuki started applying some kind of makeup under his eyes. He forced Sakuma still with a strong grip on his shoulder. Sakuma knew it was pointless, but he tried to resist anyway.

When his boss and mentor had finally stepped back, Sakuma immediately let out a sigh of relief. But that was short lived, because Honma started pulling him out of the office. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“To meet Katsuhiko.”

“Who the hell is Katsuhiko?” Sakuma frowned when he realized what was going on. “Oh come _on_ , Chief! I already told you. I don’t do blind dates!” 

“It’s at the Hanabishi coffee shop!” Yuuki told him cheerfully. 

Sakuma stopped in his tracks, and the Chief looked at him confused. “I.. um… I have to get a witness’ statement soon.” Sakuma mumbled. 

“Well it’s not like you’re the only detective around here,” Honma rolled his eyes. He glanced at his watch and started pulling Sakuma out of the office again. “Come on! You’re 5 minutes late! Let’s hurry!” 

Sakuma groaned, and the entire office looked at him with pity. But not Yuuki. No, that asshole only grinned maniacally as Sakuma was dragged towards his inevitable doom.

* * *

Sakuma awkwardly stirred his coffee for the upteenth time. He felt his date staring at him as he added more sugar and cream than he needed to. It looked gross, but Sakuma wasn’t planning on drinking it anyway. He just needed to do _something_ with his fidgety hands. 

From across the table, his date, Katsuhiko Maki sighed of boredom, and Sakuma reflexively looked up. The two men stared into each other’s eyes, and even as his heart pounded furiously, Sakuma didn’t want to look away. Those eyes were a cool russet brown, and their shape reminded him of a cat. He could easily lose himself in such sharp and intelligent eyes.

The owner of Hanabishi, Miss Makiko Nabei, walked past their table. She gave Sakuma a playful tug on the ear, while smiling at Katsuhiko. She must have been frustrated that the couple hadn’t been making any progress, and correctly guessed that it was mostly Sakuma’s fault. 

“I’m back!” a familiar voice called out. Sakuma tore his gaze from Katsuhiko and stared in horror at the cafe’s new arrival. He desperately signaled to Miss Makiko to not give away his presence, but it was in vain. “Oh my god! Detective Sakuma, is that really you?” The owner of the voice, a young girl named Momoko Nakahara hurried towards him. 

“So what’s the special occasion? You never look this put-together!” At this, Katsuhiko’s eyebrows went up, and he looked at Sakuma with a small smirk. “And wow! You look so different with your hair back!” 

“Momoko here is like a little sister to me,” Sakuma grumbled as some kind of explanation. She waved at Katsuhiko, who waved back at her with that already infuriating smirk still on his face. 

Sakuma pulled her hair a few times, her every “Ow!” hurting his ears but it was worth it. “Ok! Ok! I’ll leave! Sheesh!” Momoko fixed her hair, and shuffled away, but not before smacking Sakuma in the back of his head as payback.

“Takahide-san, did you really put your hair back for this blind date?” Katsuhiko giggled, and it was such a lovely sound. 

“Well, I.. um…” Sakuma scratched his cheek nervously. “It’s just that… um.. Well, I didn’t do this myself! It was the Chief’s idea…” Out of frustration, Sakuma went ahead and ruffled his hair, making it look messy, but still better than it had before the Chief’s influence.

Katsuhiko smiled at him softly. “It looks great either way.” And that soft smile turned smug in an instant. “But not as great as my own, of course.” And just like that, Sakuma was a goner.

* * *

They walked side by side through the town plaza, talking about anything and everything. It was clear to Sakuma that Katsuhiko was smart in a way that made him seem unattainable, but that only made him even more interested in the man. Katsuhiko was doing all the talking, and Sakuma gladly let him do it. In that smooth velvety voice, his date could make even the most boring of topics sound like the most fascinating thing in the world. 

“Tautology. Let’s put it like this… ‘I believe God is a Sardine. Because God is clearly a sardine.’ Tautology refers to a belief that exists only because you believe. And it’s one that quickly falls to the ground gasping for air outside of group-thinking.”

 _Cool_. _I didn’t understand any of that._ But Sakuma nodded along anyway. 

Katsuhiko rambled on, and Sakuma lost himself in his voice. But the sound of a car engine startled him. He looked up, and noticed a truck that was heading towards them with no sign of stopping. 

“Katsuhiko!” Sakuma pulled the man towards himself in the nick of time. “Are you alright? Damn that idiot for driving so recklessly…” He turned back towards Katsuhiko, who was too busy staring at their hands. In his rush to save him, Sakuma had apparently grabbed Miyoshi’s hand and was holding it against his chest. “Oh! I’m so sorry,” Sakuma apologized as he quickly let go of Katsuhiko’s hand. “Your hands are cold,” Sakuma thought out loud.

Katsuhiko chuckled. “Well your hands are really warm, Takahide-san. A little sweaty, too.” 

“It’s because I have a warm heart,” Sakuma responded proudly. Then he blushed, realizing what he was implying. “I-I’m not saying you have a c-cold heart or anything like that. I’m s-sure yours is warm, t-too. I mean…” 

“No harm done. You wouldn’t be the first person to say that to me. But I can tell you didn’t mean it, so I’ll let it slide.” Katsuhiko turned away, and if Sakuma had dared to look, he would’ve seen how the other man was blushing a little as he smiled. They stood in that same spot for a couple minutes, neither one making a move to end the awkwardness. 

“Is it ok if I hold your hand again?” Sakuma burst out. He could feel his face burning, but he didn’t care. He tried to always be direct with people, even the ones he was attracted to. 

“Excuse me?” Katsuhiko looked mildly surprised, but not angry, so Sakuma considered it a win. 

They locked themselves in a staring contest for what felt like an eternity. The people in the plaza ignored them, simply going about their everyday lives. They still hadn’t moved, so people were walking around them, and they were at least kind enough to avoid physical contact with the awkward pair. Finally, Katsuhiko decided to take the initiative. He grabbed Sakuma’s hand - _It’s so much smaller than mine_ , the detective marveled- and together, they continued walking through the town, both wearing their own versions of contented smiles. 

* * *

“The National Public Safety Commission is taking special measures to correct the evils of our society. They are dedicated to cleaning up the crime that litters our streets. The government is asking for everyone’s cooperation...” From the television, a bored news anchor read out the Commission’s message to the public. The guys at the station were eating lunch and chatting among themselves, halfheartedly paying attention to the T.V.

“Stick it there,” a deep voice commanded. Sakuma turned around in alarm, and once he did, he cursed himself for thinking of something… _inappropriate_. 

Yuuki was fixing some decorations along the wall, the Chief barking orders at him as a form of guidance. “Now to the left. To the left!”

“Everything you own in a box to the left!” Yuuki sang. Honma glared at him, but Yuuki was unphased. Still, Sakuma’s mentor continued to adjust the decorations until their boss was satisfied at last. 

Sakuma wasn’t sure what the decorations were for and quite frankly, he didn’t care. He turned back around and eyed the office phone in front of him. After making sure no one was paying attention, he grabbed it and hid under his desk. He dialed a number he had learned two weeks before, shaking with excitement.

On the other end, a man was hard at work with fabrics and sketchbooks all around him. The phone rang, and he cautiously stopped what he was doing. 

“Hakuberi Fashion. How can I help you?” 

“Katsuhiko! It’s me, Takahide.”

Katsuhiko’s coworker, Johan, was too busy helping a client, so he decided it was safe to answer. “You mean the same Takahide Sakuma who held my hand on our first date, and didn’t bother to call me back since then?” Katsuhiko wasn’t _really_ angry. He understood that detective work was consuming in every way, but he was still hurt.

“Well… I- I really wanted to call you as soon as possible, I swear” Sakuma felt really bad. He never meant to neglect Katsuhiko like this. “I just got busy with my cases, but I know that’s not an excuse.” He heard the other man chuckle, and Sakuma felt relieved. “How about I make it up to you? Are you free later tonight? Maybe we could- MOTHERFUCKER!” Sakuma dropped the phone and rubbed the back of his head, which he had bumped under the desk in surprise. The Chief had apparently realized Sakuma wasn’t at his desk, and for whatever reason he had checked under it. The sudden appearance of his face had startled Sakuma, _bad_. 

“Are you talking to Katsuhiko?” He glared at Sakuma, almost like he was daring him to lie. The young detective nodded sheepishly. “Good. Please continue.” And Honma left it at that.

 _What a clumsy idiot_ , Katsuhiko mused. He had noticed the loud _bang!_ that he took as a sign Sakuma had injured himself somehow, but it didn’t sound too serious. He hung up, figuring Sakuma had drawn unnecessary attention to himself and thus wouldn’t be free to talk to him for the time being. 

As soon as the Chief left, Sakuma picked up the phone, but the line was already dead. The phone rang as soon as he set it down, and Sakuma answered it immediately.

“Katsuhiko? Oh. Wait... You found what?”

* * *

“No, you can’t go in! Please stay back.” Police officers were fighting to keep the crowd of reporters away from the crime scene they were currently investigating. Some were collecting statements from the witnesses, while others collected evidence from the dead body that had brought them here in the first place. 

It was another young woman. Her skin was pale, almost gray. Her wrists and ankles were each bound by stockings, and she wore a long skirt, just like the young woman Sakuma’s group found before. Her skirt had been torn up a little, and that piece was now wrapped around her neck. Seems like both women had died the same way.

“I can’t believe this!” Sakuma groaned. “It’s been two weeks since the last one…” 

“I know,” the Chief replied quietly. “The superintendent is going to have a heart attack…”

“Who could have done this?” Sakuma frowned. “We already went through all the career criminals.”

“We’ll just have to do it again. We don’t have a choice” Honma sighed.

Sakuma groaned once more, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone walk away from a group of officers and make his way towards them “Yuuki-senpai! What did they say?”

“The body wasn’t here until yesterday afternoon.”

“That means it happened last night,” a reporter piped up. How this idiot managed to sneak past the police, Sakuma could only wonder. The reporter looked proud of himself, too, until he laid eyes on the body. His face turned an unusual shade of green, and he threw up right then and there.

Yuuki carefully stepped away and rolled his eyes. He waved Sakuma and the Chief goodbye and went back to the other group, both to avoid the smell of vomit and to get more information out of the other officers.

Back at the station, the detectives were sitting around in a circle, scarfing down their instant ramen cups like it was their last meal on earth. Except Yuuki, of course. He ate his cup slowly as though he was a proper gentleman. 

“Hello everyone!” a voice greeted them cheerfully. Sakuma cursed. Yuuki rushed to hide any revealing documents from the newcomer.

“Ooh! What are you hiding?” The man tried to get a peek but failed, so he calmly approached the other detectives.

“Reporter Shizuka,” Sakuma growled. “Why must you always show up when we’re trying to eat?”

“Don’t be like that, Detective! What am I, a stranger? But if you see me as such, we should share our meals so we can get close!” He popped a chip from an open bag into his mouth and flashed Sakuma his brightest smile. “This ramen looks delicious!” 

“Fuck off,” Sakuma snatched the cup the reporter had been eyeing and handed it over to Yuuki. 

The reporter didn’t even blink. “I heard another woman in a skirt died.” Everyone froze. The detective unit all glanced at each other nervously, and when he noticed this, Shizuka cheered. “My reporter’s instinct tells me that this is not an everyday incident.”

“You’re a bright one, aren’t you?” Yuuki snapped. “What made you come to that conclusion?” Sakuma stifled a laugh. 

Shizuka carried on, “This person is driven mad by his desire to kill women in skirts. Why? Because he hates women.” Sakuma and the Chief glanced at each other. “Is this not the same killer-”

“You’ve got quite an imagination there,” Sakuma interrupted. He slapped Shizuka on the back in what seemed like a friendly gesture, but he made sure it hurt. 

“What did you just say?” 

“You really say the strangest things sometimes. Just leave the investigating to us, Hajime.”

“Come on, man. Don’t be like this!” Shizuka looked upset, but suddenly his face lit up. “You are such a jerk! I wonder, who would ever want to be with someone like you?”

“What are you even talking about?”

“I saw a young man by the entrance just now. He said he was looking for you. He’s really pretty, by the way. I think his name was Katsu… Katsu-something... “

Sakuma set his cup down and reached over to smack the reporter in the head. He stood up and wordlessly hurried towards the entrance. 

“What’s his deal?” Shizuka asked the detectives. They ignored him.

* * *

Sakuma burst through the station doors, frantically looking around until he spotted him. “Katsuhiko!” The man in question turned around and smiled, and Sakuma could feel his chest tightening. _God, he’s beautiful._ He walked towards him slowly, not wanting to show just how excited he was, but he was sure it was obvious anyway. “So what brings you here? I hope you weren’t waiting too long.” 

“You sounded like you really missed me, so I came to bless your eyes with my refreshingly handsome face.”

“I beg your pardon?” _He’s so full of himself… But his confidence is... endearing...._

“Do you know why I agreed to go on a blind date with you?” Katsuhiko's question was completely out of left field. Sakuma had never thought to ask, but now he was dying to know. “Akira-san has nothing but praise for you. He’d always go on about his new underling, how he was such an honest man. A bumbling idiot sometimes, but always acting with the best intentions. Always doing his best to bring the criminals of this town to justice. A promising detective who he’s sure would grow into one of the best this world has ever seen. 

He said you’re so infuriatingly stubborn, but that it’s also one of your best traits. You’re so kind, too, always lending a hand to anyone who needed it, be it a coworker or random citizen. And you’d always make sure Akira-san ate, because he’s got that annoying tendency to ignore his well-being when he’s working overtime at the station. So honest and reliable...

Your dedication to your work is commendable to say the least. You were so busy trying to solve these new cases that you didn’t have the time to call me.” Katsuhiko paused and let out a shaky breath. “Once you catch the culprit… After you catch the culprit, take me out on a proper date, okay?” Sakuma gaped at him. “You’ll call me, right?” 

Sakuma snapped out of his confusion and stepped closer to Katsuhiko. He took the man’s soft hands and gently pulled them towards himself, holding them against his chest. Katsuhiko let out a small gasp of surprise. He clearly hadn’t been expecting Sakuma to do something so bold. 

“Katsuhiko. I swear I’ll take you out on a proper date when this case is over. I won’t make you wait too long, I promise. So please, wait for me.”

“I pretty much already said I would, dummy.” Sakuma stroked Katsuhiko’s hands with his thumbs, and the two men gazed softly into each other’s eyes, each holding the promise they made close to their hearts.

* * *

The station was bustling with activity all day. Police officers were bringing in suspect after suspect to be interviewed. The detectives were conducting these interviews, but every single one of the suspects had solid alibis. When it was all over, little progress in the investigation was made. It was beyond frustrating for everyone involved.

Later that night, Sakuma met up with Honma and Yuuki at Hanabishi. They were seated at a booth at a far corner in the cafe, away from the other patrons. Sakuma hid his face in his hands and grumbled angrily. 

From across the table, Yuuki chuckled while Honma grimaced. “Don’t look so down, Sakuma,” the Chief tried, but failed, to cheer up the younger detective. 

Miss Makiko brought them more coffee and sat down next to Sakuma. “So I take it the case hasn’t been solved yet?” The detectives frowned at each other. “I run a cafe right across from the station. I can tell.”

“This coffee is bitter,” Honma spat. Miss Makiko rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “By the way, where’s Momoko?” 

“She went out to make a delivery a while ago. Whenever I send her to the photography studio, she takes forever. That young lady will be in so much trouble when she comes back-” 

The doors to the cafe jingled, indicating that new customers had arrived. Miss Makiko hurried off to attend them.

“There’s no evidence, and no suspect.” Sakuma’s cheeks puffed up in anger. Yuuki cooed at him mockingly, calling him a variety of embarrassing nicknames such as “baby” and “munchkin”. Honma facepalmed and cursed himself for the millionth time for choosing these two to work beside him. 

Sakuma downed cup after cup of coffee, trying desperately to stay awake. The chief urged him to go home and rest, but in his sleep deprivation, Sakuma was sensitive and he took this as a personal attack. They started arguing while Yuuki calmly sipped his tea and enjoyed the show. 

Sakuma finally got tired of this and stood to leave, snatching his red portable lamp off the table.

“Where are you going?” Yuuki arched an eyebrow, making his disapproval clear. 

“To see the doctor.” And with that, Sakuma stormed off. 

* * *

Sakuma waltzed into the Tomusawa Police Station Forensic Examination Room, knowing Doctor Ichiro Utsumi would be hard at work. When the doctor saw him, he gave him a tired smile but went back to his task, which was to look for any hints that would shed more light on the girls’ deaths. Sakuma set some bread and coffee he bought on the way over down on Utsumi’s desk. The doctor wordlessly grabbed the coffee and downed it in one easy gulp. Sakuma winced, knowing that if he tried that he’d end up choking or burning himself or both. 

“Christ, Ichiro you look terrible. When was the last time you slept?”

“You’re one to talk,” the doctor replied flatly, his eyes still focused on his notes on the victims. 

“This isn’t about me-” 

“Please don’t lecture me on the importance of sleep, you hypocritical-” The two friends started bickering like schoolboys, and gradually relieved themselves of most of their pent-up stress. When it was all over, they went into Utsumi’s small office to relax for a while.

“This case is a real pain in my ass,” Utsumi whined as he munched on the bread Sakuma gave him. 

“I know. I want to hurry up and catch the killer already!”

“So do you guys have any leads?”

“Nope. How about you?”

“Same. There’s no fingerprints on the evidence _at all_. I hate it so much…”

“I really hope we both find something soon.” Sakuma smiled at Utsumi. “Did I tell you that when this was all over, Katsuhiko and I will finally go on a proper date?”

“Only for like, the millionth time.” Utsumi rolled his eyes as he reached over to ruffle Sakuma’s hair. “I will be your best man, right?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.” Sakuma leaned into Utsumi’s touch, and let his best friend’s calming strokes through his hair lull him to sleep. And a few minutes later, Utsumi fell asleep as well, and the best friends finally got a few hours of precious rest.

* * *

Police sirens were blaring just a little after dawn. Three cop cars sped over a bridge, and the officers inside them were all anxious to get to the scene of the crime. 

Momoko Nakahara’s body lay in a field of grass. The skirt of her dress was bunched up and stopped just below her underwear , and many of the officers felt a new level of disgust towards the killer. Her eyes were glassy, and there were noticeable streaks on her face, most likely from the tears she cried as she was killed. Her skin was dark gray, and her wrists and ankles were bound like the previous two corpses, except this time, her scarf was also wound tightly around her neck. 

Sakuma bolted towards the scene as soon as the patrol cars stopped. He’s seen his fair share of dead bodies, but none had ever filled him with such despair before. _Momoko_. She wasn’t his family by blood, but she was his little sister regardless. Sakuma could feel tears threatening to spill, but he held them in. He couldn’t afford to cry, not when there was still a killer to be caught. He forced himself to continue looking at her dead body; he had a job to do as a detective, after all. He needed to investigate. But through his watery eyes, he could barely see anything. 

Yuuki placed a gentle hand on Sakuma’s shoulder and pulled him back into a hug. “Yuuki-senpai…” Sakuma choked out. He wouldn’t cry… He wouldn’t cry…

“Momoko! Momoko!” Miss Makiko ran towards the body, tears running down her face. Honma managed to hold her back before she could get too far. It was not a pretty sight, and he knew Miss Makiko would fall apart if she saw it. 

Sakuma stood still in Yuuki’s arms as their fellow officers moved to pick up the body and mark the spot as a crime scene. Miss Makiko’s cries faded eventually, reduced to the occasional broken sob. It was only because he was so stubborn that Sakuma wasn’t bawling like a baby in the exact same way. He watched numbly as Momoko’s body was finally removed from the scene, and he blinked away any hints of a tear as he followed the forensics team. The killer had murdered his little sister, and maybe even done something worse beforehand. Sakuma was going to bring them to justice even if it was the last thing he ever did.

* * *

“The estimated time of death was around 9 p.m. last night,” Utsumi murmured. He looked up at Honma, avoiding Sakuma’s burning eyes. He wasn’t sure why the detective was torturing himself with being around the body, but he had a few guesses as to why. The case had become personal for Sakuma now, and Utsumi could only hope he wouldn’t do anything reckless out of a need for revenge. “There’s no sign of sexual assault, by the way” Sakuma and Honma visibly relaxed.

Sakuma stared as Utsumi cut through Momoko’s big scarf, which had been concealing the stocking that was wrapped around her neck, and his eyes widened in realization. “The first victim, Fuyumi Toriyama. The second victim, Hikasa Sakamoto. And the third victim, Mo-Momoko Nakahara. All three of them were wearing skirts. All of them under the age of 20. All of them had been strangled in a similar manner, with a panty hose, and they had stockings tied around their ankles and wrists. I had my doubts, but it was definitely the same person who murdered all three.” Sakuma’s tone left no room for argument. 

“What are you saying?” Honma frowned as he questioned Sakuma, but his eyes couldn’t hide his curiosity. Even Utsumi looked intrigued by Sakuma’s words.

“You know how we’ve been investigating day in and day out, questioning suspect after suspect without getting anywhere? We were going about it all wrong. We went after those who personally knew the victims, searching for anyone who would have wanted them dead for any reason. It made sense at the time, because it was standard procedure. But for the first two murders, every suspect we questioned had a solid alibi, and there was no evidence pointing to any of them.

And yet we kept questioning the same innocent people, desperately trying to find a culprit where there wasn’t one to be found. Not among them. What idiots! How can we call ourselves detectives if we were too closed-minded to see something even _Reporter Shizuka_ was able to notice?

We have got to change our approach. Instead of detaining anyone we deem suspicious, we need to look at what the victims had in common. Are there any overlaps between the people they were connected with? Small town aside, there’s bound to be a connection we wouldn’t have expected. Maybe there’s a new gang targeting women in skirts specifically. I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s not a single one of the men we have in custody right now. This is different from anything we’ve ever seen before, so we better start thinking differently too if we ever want to catch this culprit.”

Honma hung his head in shame at the “idiot” comment, but he couldn’t help but praise Sakuma’s reasoning, not out loud of course. The young detective was doing well in putting his emotions aside and he even came up with a solid theory that the Chief was sure would put them on the right path, but the rest of the station probably wouldn’t like it. 

When Sakuma got back to the station, his fellow detectives were scattered throughout their office, each questioning their newest batch of suspects. Momoko had kept a meticulous record of all the deliveries and other errands she did for Hanabishi in a little pocketbook, and the police were relying on said pocketbook to find her murderer. Sakuma wanted to bring up his theory, but he’d run it by Yuuki first to make sure it was worth considering at all.

On the way to his desk, Sakuma could hear some of the nasty words being exchanged between detectives and suspects.

“How could you kill such a hard working kid? She was only 17!”

“I already told you! I didn’t do it!”

He frantically scanned the office, but couldn’t see Yuuki anywhere...

“You sexually harassed this girl!”

“One time! It was one time!”

“You shameless son of a-” Officers had to step in for this one, lest the questioning detective kill this man who boldly admitted to sexually harassing a young girl, in a police station of all places. 

When he realized Yuuki wasn’t at the station at all, Sakuma sharply turned around and left. He couldn’t bear this uneasy feeling he had watching the detectives, now that he’s given thought to the possibility that they were all wrong. 

* * *

He found Yuuki skipping stones on a river at the outskirts of town. He went to stand next to him, not saying anything to avoid ruining his mentor’s calming atmosphere. But eventually, Yuuki sighed and motioned for Sakuma to walk with him deeper into the grass fields. 

When Yuuki deemed they were far away enough, he pulled out a box of cigarettes. Sakuma snatched them away, too concerned for Yuuki’s health, but the older detective pounced on him. They wrestled in the grass for a while, pulling and kicking and scratching and even biting. Sakuma threw bits of grass in Yuuki’s hair; in turn, Yuuki aimed for all of Sakuma’s ticklish spots and showed him no mercy as Sakuma cried tears of laughter. When it was all over, they both looked a mess, Sakuma especially with his flushed cheeks and hair that made him look like he’d just been electrocuted. Yuuki had done quite a number on him this time, but the box of cigarettes had disappeared, so Sakuma considered it a victory. 

Yuuki was a little grumpy, but Sakuma had never let that affect him before. (Okay, maybe he did, back when he first met the man, but that’s a story for another day.) Sakuma pulled out a pack of candy and gave it to Yuuki as a consolation prize, which Yuuki snatched and started eating while mock-glaring at Sakuma. 

“So what’s troubling you, my young Padawan?” Yuuki narrowed his eyes at his apprentice, but his tone was soft and careful. 

“Padawan? Really? You are such a dork, Senpai,” Sakuma chuckled. 

“And you’re no fun,” Yuuki retorted. “You’re younger than me by only 4 years, but you act so much older. A proper piece of work, you are. And that’s exactly why I set you up with my cousin. He’ll loosen you up! Or since you’re obviously a top, you can loosen _him_ up!” 

“Senpai!”

Yuuki cackled and watched as Sakuma turned a brilliant shade of red. His apprentice was too fun to tease. He may be a more mature detective than himself, but he still got flustered easily at Yuuki’s sexual humor. _He’s way too adorable for his own good_ , Yuuki snickered. 

“But seriously, are you holding up okay? I know you didn’t want to cry earlier, but if you need to, you can do it here. You know I won’t judge you.” 

Sakuma paled. “No… that’s not it.” He gulped. “I mean, there is something about the case that I’ve been thinking about all day. I want to hear what you think.” At Yuuki’s go-ahead, Sakuma launched into his theory he’d come up with at the exam center. Yuuki listened to him attentively, nodding in agreement when Sakuma called the Tomusawa detectives idiots for questioning the same people over and over with no proof of guilt whatsoever. 

“I was thinking it could have been a copycat murder, but with this third- I mean... Sorry. Now that you’ve explained it, your theory is definitely worth looking into. I’ll keep it in mind moving forward.”

“That really means a lot coming from you, Senpai. Thanks.”

“You should share this theory with the rest of the office.”

“I know, but I wanted your opinion first.”

Yuuki ruffled Sakuma’s hair affectionately. “Now who’s the dork?”

“Still you!”

“Hey! At least I’m getting laid!”

“By who? The Chief?”

Yuuki gagged and put Sakuma in a choke hold, but the other wouldn’t stop laughing even if he was struggling to breathe. Yuuki loosened his hold and fixed his young detective’s hair, trying to make him look somewhat presentable. They needed to head back to the station soon, and Sakuma had to share his theory so that maybe, just maybe, they could finally figure out who the killer was and lock them up before they claimed yet another young woman’s life. However, Yuuki knew better than to hope.

And just as Yuuki had feared, Violent Crime Unit 1 ignored Sakuma’s suggestion, as did Unit 2. A few detectives actually agreed with Sakuma, but were overruled and mocked by the rest. _What a bunch of dumbasses_ , Yuuki thought disdainfully. Not only had they upset Sakuma and made him start doubting himself, but they had also blown any chance the police had at making progress. _Real_ progress, not just running in circles like chickens with no heads. Sakuma was right, these guys were too closed-minded. 

Honma sent them to investigate the last place Momoko had been at, the photography studio. Someone from Unit 2 had already gone earlier, but they couldn’t find anything. After Sakuma’s presentation of his theory had gone terribly wrong, his boss was sending him and Yuuki to the studio to put some distance between them and the other detectives. It was for the other detectives’ benefit as well, because Honma knew Yuuki would get into a fight even if he thought it was beneath him because he was just that angry on his apprentice’s behalf. 

Yuuki and Sakuma walked into the studio, and the owner, Ryohei Izawa, looked annoyed when he recognized who they were. “I already told the police that it wasn’t us! What more do you want?”

“That’s not what we’re here about,” Yuuki answered calmly. He may still be fuming from earlier, but he could pretend to be calm, though it was more for Sakuma’s benefit than the owner’s. 

“Oh really? For what other reason could you detectives possibly be here then?”

“I know this was the last place the girl was at according to her notes, but relax, we don’t suspect you. We figured we could try to retrace her steps from here so we could find more clues,” Yuuki lied smoothly. It wouldn’t be a bad idea, but it wasn’t the true reason. But it’s not like he could say, “We’re here to get away from our idiot coworkers,” either. 

“You know, the reason Momoko would stay here for a good while was because of her crush on my nephew,” Mr. Izawa remarked. Said nephew, Kazuo Izawa, looked up from where he was making new backdrops for the studio. He looked absolutely distraught, but he nearly burst into tears at the mention of Momoko’s name. Apparently her crush hadn’t been one-sided, but Sakuma couldn’t bring himself to be concerned about it. “We used to buy her yakisoba whenever she’d come over. And she would always feed Kazuo even though he had two perfectly functional hands... She doted on him too much,” Mr. Izawa sighed fondly. That girl would have been such a perfect girlfriend for his nephew, but alas, her life had ended before it could truly begin. 

“What time did she leave last night?” Sakuma piped up. 

“I believe it was about 7 pm.”

Sakuma wrote that down in a small notepad Yuuki had gifted him a short while ago, before all these murders began. Simpler times. Happier times. Times when Momoko was still alive, roasting Sakuma for his messy hair, giving him his favorite desserts whenever he had a long night at the station, bragging about how she was going to get married before Sakuma could even find a steady boyfriend. His eyes stung, and he was ready to have a breakdown right there in the studio. Momoko would never be able to do any of those things again. She would never get the chance to marry and have a family and accomplish her dreams, all because of some sick freak who got off on killing women in skirts and discarding their bodies in the fields for any random person to find. 

Sakuma walked out of the studio to collect himself. Yuuki thanked Mr. Izawa for his time, and offered Kazuo some meaningless words of comfort before he left to catch up to Sakuma. 

They walked through the empty streets and silent fields until they got to the spot where Momoko’s body had been found. Like before, Yuuki pulled Sakuma into a hug, and this time, the younger detective allowed himself to cry. His sobs were horrible to listen to, because he sounded so small, so broken. Even Yuuki could feel himself getting misty-eyed, and he hadn’t been anywhere near as close to her as Sakuma had been. But if he felt sad, it was because watching his first and only apprentice cry like this made his heart ache in all the worst ways. So he held him, and allowed Sakuma to cry for as long as he needed, even if it could last the whole night. 

A couple feet away, a figure watched them. It was too dark for the detectives to see them, but the figure could see _them_ just fine from their hiding spot in the grass. They couldn’t hear any of what was said between the detectives, but they relished in the sight of a detective bawling his eyes out. It made them smile, and the figure decided he’d stay watching them for as long as they were in that field before finally heading home and planning their next course of action. 

* * *

“What have you guys been doing? What the hell have you been doing while three females were out there being killed?” The Superintendent of Tomusawa Police Station, Orochi Mutou , yelled at the Violent Crime Division at the top of his lungs. “Seriously, what have you all been doing? I will not have you making our honorable police force look like complete fools! I want this criminal to be caught by the end of the year before I have to leave for Tokyo. Understood?”

“Sir, yes sir!” 

“Chief Honma! Squad Leader Akimasa! I’m counting on you two to get me some results, you hear?” Superintendent Mutou shoved the two unit leaders out his way as he stormed out of the station. 

“He wants us to catch this person before the year ends?” Sakuma groaned. “I’d give anything to catch them tomorrow or even now!” 

“What do we have so far-” Chief Honma began.

“Do we have any evidence, suspects, or witnesses?” Akimasa interrupted, but he directed his question towards Sakuma, even if they weren’t in the same unit.

“We don’t have anything,” Yuuki saved Sakuma from having to answer. “If we did, we would’ve caught the criminal already.” 

“Why you rude little-”

“Wait, we did have something!” Yuuki cut him off. “Now what was it… It’s on the tip of my tongue… Oh right! Detective Sakuma has presented us with the most probable theory I’ve heard for this case, but what did you guys do? You ignored him, cast him and his ideas aside because you’re all so stuck in the old ways of crime solving that you’re unwilling to listen to something that actually makes sense!” Sakuma gave Yuuki a back hug in appreciation, professionalism be damned. Yuuki glared at Akimasa, as well as the others of the Violent Crime Division, making eye contact with every single one that had dismissed Sakuma’s theory so that they could all enjoy the contempt he held for them through his eyes. Even the nicer detectives shuddered.

One of the detectives Yuuki hated spoke up. “Actually, I have a much better idea than that garbage Sakuma came up with.”

“Oh yeah? Let's hear it then,” Akimasa encouraged him.

The detective opened his mouth to speak, however…

“I know what you’re thinking! Don’t you even dare say it!” Sakuma snapped. 

“What’s your idea Detective Bakugo?” Akimasa ignored Sakuma’s outburst.

“If it happens again, we could get a clue from it.” The asshole detective smirked at Sakuma, who had gotten up from his seat to try to beat him up, no doubt. 

Honma restrained Sakuma as they both glared at Bakugo in disgust. “I’d rather never catch the criminal at all than to let that happen!” Honma shouted at him. 

This argument made something in most of the detectives in the room snap, and they all started yelling at each other. Fists were thrown. Someone broke the T.V. Those few not fighting were sneaking off, or stirring up more chaos without looking too involved. 

Chief Detective Eiji Honma, Detective Akira Yuuki, and Detective Takahide Sakuma strolled out of the station into the fresh open air. That meeting had been a complete disaster, and now they had the added pressure of a deadline because the Superintendent needed them to make him look good, even if he wasn’t lifting a finger to help. “Fuck those incompetent, lazy higher-ups,” Yuuki mumbled. 

Sakuma yawned. He looked up at the clouds, their fluffiness bringing a ghost of a smile to his face. Despite the odds against him, despite his division’s low opinion of him, Sakuma was sure he’d be able to solve this case. As long as he had Yuuki and Honma investigating by his side, and as long as Katsuhiko was waiting for him, Sakuma would give it his all. The culprit will be caught, and the victims they left behind will finally be able to rest in peace. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ages:  
> Sakuma / 25  
> Yuuki / 29  
> Honma / 40  
> Katsuhiko / 23 
> 
> Momoko Nakahara / 17  
> Izawa Kazuo / 18  
> Shizuka Hajime / 31  
> Utsumi Ichiro / 25  
> Johan Bauer / 23 
> 
> Police/Detectives:  
> Mutou - Superintendent. He is the main boss at the Tomusawa Police Department.  
> Eiji Honma - Chief. Main leader of the Violent Crime Division. He is in charge of Unit 1  
> Akimasa- Squad Leader/ secondary Division leader. In charge of Unit 2.  
> Akira Yuuki- Senior Detective. Sakuma’s partner/mentor. He loves Sakuma like a little brother.  
> Takahide Sakuma - Detective. One of the best detectives in the entire Division, second only to Yuuki.  
> Bakugo - Detective. Sakuma and Yuuki think he’s a terrible person. Name derived from Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia (because I don’t like him lol)
> 
> Others:  
> Katsuhiko Maki - An aspiring fashion designer and Sakuma’s love interest. (1985 Miyoshi)  
> Ichiro Utsumi - lead forensics doctor. Sakuma’s best friend. (1985 Amari)  
> Hajime Shizuka - reporter. (1985 Fukumoto)  
> Izawa Kazuo - photographer’s assistant and Momoko’s love interest. (1985 Kaminaga)
> 
> Victims:  
> Fuyumi Toriyama - first victim / 19  
> Hikasa Sakamoto - second victim / 19  
> Momoko Nakahara - third victim / 17


	3. 1986

Sakuma and Katsuhiko strolled through the shopping district, their hands intertwined. Today was a busy day, but it wasn’t too crowded. The streets were lined with random food stalls, which clashed with the higher-end buildings, but Katsuhiko didn’t make a fuss about it. Instead, he used his beauty to get Sakuma to buy him all the snacks he wanted.

Katsuhiko really did not have to do much work to convince him, either. All it took as a pointed finger and Sakuma was ready to buy him as much junk as he wanted, all to see the younger’s pleased smile as he bit into a _nikuman_ or some other food and moan in delight. 

That promise they had made to each other was made with the understanding that the police wouldn’t take too long to catch the murderer. But months went by with no results, and Katsuhiko got impatient. Sakuma initially wanted to wait and uphold their promise, but he too got tired of waiting. He couldn’t bear seeing Katsuhiko and being reminded of what he could not have because he and the entire force were unable to solve the case. So although it had eaten at his conscience at first, Sakuma thought _to hell with it_ and asked Katsuhiko out on a date.

Yuuki easily alleviated Sakuma’s doubts by reminding him he was human, too. Things may be hopeless at the station, but Sakuma deserved to find happiness as much as anyone else. And it wasn’t like Katsuhiko was a distraction from work either. If anything, being close to him gave Sakuma bursts of energy whenever Katsuhiko crossed his mind, so the younger man was the perfect motivator for Sakuma to work more efficiently while not becoming a workaholic like many other detectives. 

At the end of the year, Sakuma asked Katsuhiko to move in with him. For some it may have seemed too fast, but Sakuma was sure that he wouldn’t love anyone the way he loved Katsuhiko. And the feeling was mutual because the other man agreed to Sakuma’s idea so eagerly. And so they moved together into a new house in a nice neighborhood. It was small, but modern, and it was more than enough to satisfy the high-maintenance Katsuhiko. They had their careers, each other, and now, their own place to call home.

* * *

A young woman was practically bouncing from excitement as she made her way through the dark fields. She pulled out something from her purse and gazed at it proudly. A forest green tie. It was a tie she had gotten for her younger brother as a gift for completing his military training, and she was on her way to Makutawei Air Field training base to give it to him now. It may not seem like much, but they knew to be content with simple things, and she just knew he would appreciate it. Sister’s instinct.

She continued walking, the lights of the training center guiding her path. Her face was glowing with her contented smile lighting it up. She heard a sudden crunch on the gravel and froze. 

She thought she’d heard footsteps, but they disappeared when she stopped walking. The woman took a deep breath to calm herself, but her heart and mind were racing with fear brought on by the worst possibilities. Her heartbeat drummed in her ears, drowning out her now heavy breathing. She tried to pick up the strolling pace she had before, but this new fear was too much. When she finally couldn’t take it anymore, she turned around.

There was nothing. 

She ran, but didn’t get too far. She felt someone grab her and screamed. The attacker pushed her onto the ground and started forcing her stockings off. She wanted to cry. This couldn’t be happening, not to her! The attacker was relentless and they weighed her down using their own body so that she couldn’t escape his grasp. She tried kneeing them in the groin, and felt something that sent chills down her spine. Once her stockings were off, the attacker pulled her skirt down, then leaned in to whisper insults like “cheating slut” and “easy” and “whore.” She kicked and screamed and her cries cut through the warm night air. Sheer terror clawed its way into her heart and her throat was squeezed tighter and harder by the second. _I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die… Stop! Please! I don’t want to die! God, please… Someone… Anyone! Help me…._

Her tearful prayers went unheard.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock._

“Sakuma! Detective Sakuma!”

Sakuma opened the door and tilted his head in confusion when he saw Yuuki standing on his doorstep.

“Yuuki-senpai? What are you doing here so early? It’s not even 5am…”

Yuuki awkwardly waved to Katsuhiko, who had come up to lean behind Sakuma and was now peeking at him curiously. His cousin smiled at him in that bemused way of his and waved back.

“Listen, I know it’s your day off today, and I would have rather let you sleep in and enjoy it. But the Chief insisted on sending me to fetch you. Plus, I know you’ll want to see this as soon as possible.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s been another... incident.”

Sakuma’s eyes widened in realization. “You don’t mean-”

Yuuki nodded gravely. Sakuma turned around and gave Katsuhiko a silent apology. His boyfriend looked annoyed to say the least, but he understood, and he wished Sakuma and Yuuki luck and sent them on their way. 

Sakuma and Yuuki walked straight towards the crime scene, cameras clicking in the background. They nodded at the Chief in greeting and got to work. 

Sakuma looked down and grimaced when he saw the body. She was bound and gagged in stockings, and her belongings were scattered around her, numbered by the forensics team. Her skin was not gray like the others; she was a cold, pale white. 

“Damn it!” Sakuma wanted to cry from frustration. There was a new victim, and from a quick glance he knew she had not been dead long, a few hours at most. 

“Identify her,” Yuuki ordered a nearby forensics officer. 

“Sakura Miyoshi. Twenty-one years old.”

“Do you have her address?” Sakuma asked him.

“She had just moved into those apartments by the military center. The person who found the body lives in that same building.”

“Has her family been alerted?”

“I tried calling but no one answered,” a new voice entered the conversation. It was Bakugo, the asshole detective from Unit 2. 

“You… Someone died and you’re going to tell her family over the phone?” Bakugo shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll go see them myself.”

“I’ll go with you,” Yuuki placed a hand on Sakuma’s shoulder, gripping it firmly. The pair started walking off, but Sakuma suddenly whipped his head around.

“Hey Bakugo, remember what you said last time? ‘If it happens again, we can get a clue from it.’ Well get looking! You better hope you find something, because if you don’t-”

Yuuki clasped his hand over Sakuma’s mouth, but the unspoken threat was loud and clear. 

Bakugo glared at Yuuki. “Why did you bring him?” Yuuki refused to dignify that jackass with a response and pulled Sakuma away from the scene.

Honma glared at Bakugo before ordering someone to cover the body with a blanket, “to give her privacy” he said. And with that, they went back to work.

* * *

Hansuke Miyoshi stood outside his apartment building’s main entrance. He was shivering from the cold. He paced back and forth anxiously, checking his watch frequently. “Where is she?” he wondered out loud. “It’s not like Nee-san to be late…”

As Sakuma and Yuuki approached the building, they both got increasingly more tense. Sakuma paused in his tracks when he spotted the young man pacing nervously. He looked like a delinquent teen playing soldier, with his bad posture and his hands in his pockets. When Sakuma got a better look at his face, his jaw clenched. The family resemblance was obvious, and Sakuma felt tears forming in his eyes. Yuuki grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the young man. They were detectives and they had a responsibility to carry out.

They broke the news, and he blinked a few times from the shock. Suddenly, he pushed past them and started running in the direction they had come from. The detectives glanced at each other and nodded. They ran after him.

“This can’t be… this can’t be… this can’t be” Hansuke chanted the phrase like a mantra as he sprinted towards the crime scene. 

“Wait!” Sakuma called out. “We can call you later! It’s best that you not see her right now!”

The boy ignored him and pushed himself to run at a speed that he couldn’t even manage during his training. But in a situation like this, all he wanted to do was run faster and faster, right to Nee-san’s arms so she could comfort him. What the detectives told him wasn’t true… it couldn’t be!

He stopped running when he got to the scene. He slowly made his way towards the body, the police forces side-eyeing him as he did so. No one made a move to stop him or block his path. Yuuki briefly considered having them do it, but it wasn’t his place. He felt Hansuke shouldn’t have to see his sister’s dead body, but if that was what he needed, then Yuuki wouldn’t get in the boy’s way.

Hansuke stopped and leaned over, trying to catch his breath. He shook as he squatted down to get a better look at the body, which had been covered with a blanket. His hands were twitchy and his breath became uneven again. He lifted a corner of the blanket, which revealed his sister’s peaceful face. He lifted more, and fell back when he saw the stocking wrapped around her neck. Sakuma caught him, but Hansuke shook him off. He crawled towards his sister’s body. 

“Neei-san.” His voice trembled. He reached over to take her face in his hands and stroked her hair. “Come on, Nee-san. Wake up…” He started shaking her, the way he used to in the mornings whenever she slept past her alarms. “Nee-san! Please! Wake up!” He shook her harder. “Nee-san! Sakura!” Hansuke threw his head back and cried. Tears flowed freely down his face, and he screamed his sister’s name over and over again, but in his heart, he knew. He knew she would never wake up again.

“Excuse me, was this hers?” Bakugo held a tie out to him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Sakuma yelled at him.

Hansuke snatched the tie and held it to his face as he continued to sob, his cries piercing the air the way his sister’s had just a few hours ago. “Sakura! Sakura! Nee-san!” 

This scene would haunt many of the detectives present for years to come.

* * *

As he entered the suit tailor’s shop with Yuuki, Sakuma recalled the words Dr. Utsumi had told him earlier that morning in the examination room.

_“Do you see her wrist?” Sakura Miyoshi’s left wrist had a nasty purple bruise and there were some cuts on the back of her hand. Her arms and legs were more bruise than skin, if Sakuma was being honest. “She struggled until the last moment to survive. One person fighting to kill, the other fought to live. I’ve seen my fair share of dead bodies, but this is just too cruel!” He collapsed into Sakuma’s arms and sighed heavily. “I really don’t want to look at another body like this one ever again... Please. Hurry up and catch whoever did it.”_

Sakuma shook his head. This criminal was shaking up their police forces like nothing else had before, and everyone in town was anxious for them to be caught. He wouldn’t let them down. 

He watched as Yuuki interviewed the tailor while holding out Sakura Miyoshi’s tie, which had been sealed in an evidence bag, out for him to inspect. Once the tailor confirmed that the tie had indeed been made in their shop, Yuuki held out Miss Miyoshi’s photograph out to him.

“Was she the client who bought it?”

“Yes.”

“What time did she leave?”

“About 7:30. I remember her asking me about the bus schedule.” He pointed out the bus stop right outside the shop. They thanked him for his time and left.

Their investigation led them aboard the Tomusawa Public Bus, Bus #3. Yuuki once again held out Miss Miyoshi’s picture, this time to the bus driver. 

“Yeah I remember this woman. I dropped her off at Makutawei.” Sakuma dutifully wrote that down.

“Was there anything strange or unusual? Did someone get off at that same stop?”

The bus driver paused. “I think… Yes. There was this soldier. They seemed to know each other, so I thought nothing of it.”

They thanked the bus driver and got off at the bus stop in front of Makutawei Air Field. 

Now they were inside a restaurant just north of the base, seated across the table from a soldier. He was trying to put on a nonchalant appearance, but Yuuki didn’t miss how fidgety the soldier was. 

“So you’re the soldier who left the bus at the same time as Sakura Miyoshi, am I right?” The soldier looked away. “That’s quite a scar on your nose you got there,” Yuuki added, and sure enough, the soldier looked even more uncomfortable upon hearing this. That scar looked fresh, and the soldier himself had a suspicious aura, so even if he wasn’t the culprit Yuuki knew something about him was off.

“That’s… um….”

“Can’t explain it?” Sakuma cut in. 

The soldier turned back to them and looked Sakuma dead in the eyes. “No, I can’t.”

The detectives wore equally annoyed expressions. Yuuki left the table to talk to the military staff. Sakuma called the station.

At the office, the Division detectives interviewed the recently graduated soldiers, treating them all like possible suspects. Yuuki wrinkled his nose at the harsh interrogation tactics his coworkers used. Many accusations were thrown, criminal records brought up, and it was overall beneath what Yuuki preferred. Though to be fair to the detectives, the soldiers themselves were being uncooperative, bitching about why they were going to great lengths over a seemingly random woman. One detective was ready to start swinging punches at a particularly rude soldier, and Sakuma had to step in to hold him back. 

When it was all over, Chief Honma wanted to pop open a bottle of whiskey and drink the night away. The first night of investigations had failed spectacularly. 

* * *

Sakuma watched as Hansuke Miyoshi cautiously stepped inside the Makutawei Grave Apartment, which was located a good distance from the training base. He waited behind a tree for what must have been hours, but he felt like it was his duty to wait until Hansuke was out. When Hansuke was done, Sakuma could see how disheveled he looked with those bloodshot eyes and face bloated from crying, though his suit was still in pristine condition. While tradition dictated he wear a black tie with his black suit, Hansuke instead wore the green tie his sister had bought for him the day she was killed. He fiddled with it now, and something about it set him off because he fell to his knees and started bawling again. Sakuma wanted to go comfort him, but knew it wasn’t his place. 

_“What do you mean you couldn’t catch the criminal?” Hansuke looked at Chief Honma incredulously. “I gave you guys a list of everyone I graduated with, and pretty much everyone at that damn base. It had to have been one of them!”_

_“We checked three different times, but none of them fit.”_

_“How about a witness? No one witnessed the crime?” Honma shook his head, looking thoroughly ashamed of himself. “You told me you would catch them!” Hansuke cried. “Why are you backing out now? Were you lying to me? My sister was killed! Murdered! How can you tell me that you just couldn’t catch him?” The young man banged his fists on the table as he yelled at Honma. He cursed him and the police with foul language that surprised even the most profane officers . No one could bring themselves to say anything._

_Hansuke eventually calmed down and sobbed on the desk, and the best Sakuma could offer him in that moment was “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”_

Sakuma frowned at the memory. In all his years as a detective, Hansuke’s breakdown in the office was by far one of the most shameful moments in his career. This young man had no family other than his sister, and now she was gone, because the police failed to catch the criminal after the very first victim that had been found. Sakuma was still hurting from losing Momoko, and he hated watching someone go through something similar, if not worse. 

Hansuke felt someone watching him out of the corner of his eye, and he didn’t need to look to know who it was. That detective… He had apologized to Hansuke, and it wasn’t a fake one like the ones he’s received this past week. That detective was one of the few good ones in the entire force, and Hansuke had faith that he would be one of the ones who would finally catch the damn murderer who took his most precious person from him. 

Hansuke turned, and they made eye contact. Sakuma felt his heart break at just how red the boy’s eyes were, and it reminded him too much of the look he saw in the mirror when he was consumed by grief for the girl who was like his family in all but blood. At that moment, Sakuma made a silent vow to Hansuke. _I_ **_will_ ** _catch the person who killed your sister, and mine, and the other women who have families and friends still mourning them. I’ll give it my all so that the murder will be punished, and our sisters will finally rest in peace._ Sakuma saluted him and walked away, filled with a renewed sense of determination. He had a criminal to catch. 

* * *

The rain reflected the current mood of the detectives and the entire station, and one Takahide Sakuma. As he headed home, he let the rain water wash over him, but it could not wash him of the shame he felt at his failure as a detective. _Another day and still nothing._ Once he got to his doorstep, he sat down, and let the rain soak him to his bones. 

Katsuhiko stepped outside. He did a double take when he saw his boyfriend sitting with his shoulders hunched over, seemingly unphased by the rain that suddenly started hitting harder. He quickly sat down beside him and opened his umbrella to hold over them, though it was more for his own sake since Sakuma was already thoroughly soaked.

“Back then, I should have given him some words of comfort, not some bullshit like ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,’” Sakuma groaned. “But it was the only thing I could come up with in the moment.” Katsuhiko awkwardly placed his hand over Sakuma’s. He was never the best at comforting people, and usually Sakuma was the one doing the comforting in their relationship. But right now, his boyfriend was obviously in pain, and Katsuhiko would do his best to be there for him. He stroked Sakuma’s hand gently and waited for him to continue.

“I just feel so helpless. My theory was shot down and I know in my gut that I’m right but I don’t even know where or how to start looking. I’m stuck using the standard methods we have. Like, that soldier who was being tight-lipped about his scar… I knew it wasn’t him, but I was so desperate and calling them in as suspects was what I was supposed to do anyway. But it was pointless. I knew it would be pointless but I did it anyway.

And that day with Hansuke. It hurt seeing him like that, and I can relate too much to how he’s feeling. I want nothing more than to hurry and finally bring the culprit to justice. But I feel so damn helpless and this stupid investigation is going nowhere.” Katsuhiko leaned into him and started rubbing soothing circles on his back. He tossed the umbrella aside and this earned a snort of amusement from Sakuma. 

“I really hate to admit this but… Like I said, I feel so damn helpless. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I’ll ever be able to catch them, or if they’ll continue to claim young women’s lives while I’m powerless to stop them. Even with Yuuki and the Chief by my side, I can’t get anywhere with my theory because the other detectives aren’t letting me and keep assigning me meaningless tasks to keep me occupied. 

It’s really feeling like there’s nothing I can do…” Sakuma trailed off and placed his arm around his shorter boyfriend. They were both absolutely drenched, and Sakuma knew Katsuhiko would whine about the state of his clothes later. But for now, he simply basked in his company, the small gestures of comfort doing more for Sakuma than Katsuhiko would ever know.

* * *

“September 20, 1986, there was an opening ceremony for the 10th Asian Games. The Asian Games have been held in Seoul, South Korea, for 16 days. Throughout the 16 days of this event, we will compete in a series of friendly sports events against our fellow Asian countries…” Chief Honma watched the screen blankly, letting the words of the T.V. announcer go in one ear and out the other. He took a long drag of his cigarette and sighed.

“It’s been 6 months since Sakura Miyoshi’s death. This case is pretty much cold.” The other detectives hummed in agreement. Honma glanced at a table in the corner. Hansuke was sitting on the table, swinging his legs back and forth like a child. Honma couldn’t help but think how cute he was when he wasn’t pestering the detectives about their inability to solve the case. _He must have been adorable as a kid. I bet his sister must have doted on him a lot_ \- Honma facepalmed and chided himself for this inappropriate train of thought. 

“We’re back!” Yuuki called out, Sakuma right beside him. Hansuke perked up and walked towards them. Honma frantically put his cigarette out, knowing Sakuma would give him shit for it if he noticed. 

“So how have you found any new leads or suspects?” The entire division (minus Honma, Yuuki, and Sakuma) let out a collective groan.

“If we did, we would have called you!” Bakugo snapped. He was sick and tired of the young man’s daily questioning, as were many others in the division.

“I heard there were other incidents,” Hansuke continued, unaffected by Bakugo’s harshness. 

“I know what you want to say, but that’s not it,” a different voice, Detective Shimano, spoke up. “They look similar but they just happened to be in the same neighborhood.”

“Still-”

“Four different people died in this area this past year. Do you really think it was the same killer?” Bakugo interrupted him. He pointedly glared at Sakuma, daring him to speak. Sakuma wanted to punch that look off his face, and Yuuki was tempted to let him. But as the senior, it was his duty to keep his partner in line, no matter how justified Sakuma would be, and no matter how much Yuuki himself wanted to have a go at him.

Hansuke sulked in his seat. The air in the room was thick with tension as the detectives avoided looking at each other, lest someone else lose their shit. Shimano approached Hansuke and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Listen Miyoshi-kun. I think it would be best for you, and for all of us really, if you stopped coming here.”

Hansuke bristled at that. “You think I like coming here? You guys think I pester you about this shit for fun?” He stood on top of the table now, forcing the detectives’ attention on himself. “I really, really hate coming here everyday, to see a bunch of pathetic, useless detectives run around in circles while my sister’s murderer is still out there. Scumbag’s probably planning his next attack as we speak!” Hansuke sighed. “I know I make you guys uncomfortable when I’m here… But to be completely honest, this is all I can do. There’s nothing else I can do but _this_.” He looked ready to cry, and Shimano expertly got to comforting him. 

“Detective Sakuma!” Shizuka called out. Another collective groan, this time from every single detective present. Hansuke stopped crying and looked up, confused.

Sakuma went over to him to block him from getting further into the office. “Shizuka, please. I get that you’re a reporter and it’s your job to be nosy, but just… You need to leave.”

“Wait! Why does he get to be here?” Shizuka pointed at Hansuke, who stuck out like a sore thumb in the office with his military uniform. “He’s standing on your table like some lunatic but if I so much as get my foot in the door-”

“It’s because you’re annoying as fuck,” Yuuki snapped. Honma chucked quietly.

Shizuka rolled his eyes and glanced at Hansuke again. “Wait, you look really familiar.” He gasped. He suddenly remembered something that had happened the last time he came to the office to get information out of the detectives. _He had barged in, expecting them to be on their lunch break, only to find the office devoid of any officers. Instead, there was only a soldier huddled in the corner, staring out into nothing with a haunted look in his eyes._ “You’re the one who was waiting here by himself the other day, right? Of course I’m right. I’m really good at memorizing faces, you know.”

“Get lost,” Shimano called out.

“So what case are you here for?” Shizuka ignored them all in favor of pestering Hansuke. 

“Ok. That’s enough. Time for you to leave,” Sakuma grabbed Shizuka’s ear and started tugging him out of the office. A few of the detectives cheered. Hansuke silently got up and walked out of the office, though not without thanking Shimano for his help first. No one cheered, but several detectives did sigh of relief, praying that they wouldn’t see him around anymore. His and even Shizuka’s presence were reminders of their incompetence and they were too glad to see them go. 

* * *

A purse, 1. A hair roller, 2. A pair of red flats, 3. And the cameras went _click, click, click._

Tonight marked yet another death.

The victim was a woman once again. Her wrists and ankles were tied together, but in a different manner from the previous victims. While the others had been tied wrist to wrist and ankle to ankle, this one had been tied ankles to wrists, her body bent with her arms outstretched towards her legs. 

Her body was also the most decayed they had come across yet. Her skin was a hideous dark gray, almost green, and there were cuts all over her face. 

Sakuma used his trusted red lantern to examine the victim, lingering a little too long on her face for his own liking. It was a horrific sight, but he felt obligated to look at it anyway. Another woman fallen victim to a murderer and the incompetent detective force who failed to catch him. 

Sakuma continued moving his light and froze when it landed on her feet. They were covered in dirt and dried blood, but the light was still strong enough for him to notice something unusual about her foot. On the left heel there was a very small mark, six small dots arranged in a neat 2x3 pattern. He stayed fixated on it for a while, and Yuuki finally decided he’d been staring long enough. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Sakuma nodded towards the mark, and when Yuuki only looked confused, he pointed at it with his index finger. “Oh,” was all Yuuki had to respond. This was quite unusual indeed. 

Sakuma suddenly got up and marched away from the scene, Yuuki right at his heels.

“Where are you two going?” Honma was exasperated with them, but he let them be. They were his best two detectives after all, and even if the rest of the division saw them as crazy and insane, Honma knew that they were the ones most capable of catching the culprit. 

The pair walked up to the clinic, knowing Dr. Utsumi would be there. Yuuki did the honors of banging on the door, and after a few seconds, the doctor let them in, his face red with fury.

“Do you two realize what time it is? And Detective Yuuki, was banging the door really necessary? That is such a Takahide thing to do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean-” Sakuma whined. Yuuki nudged him gently. He had an idea of what Sakuma had in mind, but wanted his partner to vocalize it himself. “Right.” Sakuma exhaled, feeling some of his earlier tension dissipate. “Ichiro, can you please pull up the records we have for the stocking victims? There’s something I need to confirm with my own eyes.”

Utsumi’s previous anger dissolved into confusion, with a strong hint of curiosity. _He must have come up with another interesting theory_. Utsumi led them inside to the clinic’s records room. 

He pulled out the files he had for Fuyumi Toriyama, Hikasa Sakamoto, Momoko Nakahara, and Sakura Miyoshi. He handed two to Sakuma, two to Yoshi, and together the three of them pored over the documents.

“Aha!” Sakuma exclaimed. He found where Nakahara and Miyoshi had their own ankle dots, three and four respectively. Yuuki also found the dots for his victims, one and two.

“So they’ve been marking their victims this whole time… We must have looked like such fools,” Yuuki muttered darkly. 

“Looks like you were right, Takahide.” Utsumi remarked lightly, but he seemed on edge.

Sakuma paced back and forth, his mind overrun by horrible thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to punch a wall right now, but held himself back out of respect for this place where dead bodies have been coming and going too often for his liking. Speaking of...

“Ichiro, get ready,” Sakuma looked his best friend directly in the eye, his voice dropping to a whisper. “There’s another body coming.”

“Oh, come on!” Utsumi started hyperventilating, not at all ready to see yet another fucked up body of a poor woman.

“Doctor. This body has six dots on her heel.” Yuuki also whispered, trying not to set the man off. 

“Wait. Six?” Utsumi stopped in his panic. “But shouldn’t it be five?” 

Sakuma and Yuuki started yelling curses at the top of their lungs. 

Utsumi sighed. “I’ll get the examination room ready.” 

Sakuma and Yuuki made copies of all the files to take back to the station. Yuuki wrote up a brief report of all they had realized these past couple hours to present to the Chief. 

And the three of them met up at Yuuki’s lonely apartment to go over all the files. Yuuki had insisted on not doing this at the station as he didn’t want to deal with the rest of the Division giving them a hard time. 

Honma was horrified to learn that there was a missing body, and he called for a search party for the 5th victim as soon as the trio got back to the station. A new phase in their investigation was underway.

* * *

The proud officers of Tomusawa’s police force waded through the tall grass, using sticks to poke and prod. The sun had just risen, and it shone down on them as they searched for a missing body.

“Make sure to search thoroughly. Got it?” Honma barked at them through a megaphone

“Yes sir!” They yelled in unison, their voices laced with a determination fierce enough to rival that of an army. 

“Have you heard of any woman from the neighborhood going missing?” Yuuki asked a civilian.

“Afraid I haven’t. Sorry.”

“Have you seen anyone who seemed suspicious?” Sakuma asked another.

“No. I. Haven’t. Leave. You’re scaring away my customers.”

The police and detectives had a bad day of failed results. Nighttime was not much better.

* * *

Sakuma groaned in pleasure as Katsuhiko expertly massaged his shoulders. He hasn’t been sleeping properly these past few days, so his muscles were tense and the pain was holding him back at work. He let Katsuhiko work his magic on his body, and when the massage was over, he reached out and kissed him gently as a thank you. 

When Sakuma pulled away, Katsuhiko shot him an unreadable look before leaving their bedroom. He came back quickly and in his arms, he held a bunch of shopping backs, grinning in a maniac way that made him look too much like Yuuki. _They are cousins after all_ , Sakuma chided himself. He sat up and braced himself for whatever craziness Katsuhiko was about to try.

His boyfriend kept that stupid grin as he placed the bags on their bed and pulled out the contents like an excited kid on Christmas. Leather and denim jackets, simple but still fashionable t-shirts, designer jeans and belts. Sakuma could already feel a headache forming from thinking about how much everything must have cost. 

Katsuhiko threw a t-shirt at him and looked at him expectantly. Sakuma blinked at him stupidly before he realized what his boyfriend wanted. He knew better than to say anything and simply obeyed him, trying on everything Katsuhiko had brought out of the bag. He pointedly ignored the noises of delight Katsuhiko made whenever Sakuma was shirtless or pantless in between trying items. He could not afford to entertain the growing lust his boyfriend’s hungry eyes were igniting in him, since he did have to get back to work in less than an hour. So he went for something safer, the antagonistic route.

“So how much did this-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

“You’re unbelievable…”

“Unbelievably generous? Why, yes I am. You’re so lucky to have me babe,” Katsuhiko looked too pleased with himself. Every item Sakuma had tried on fit him perfectly, but Katsuhiko wasn’t surprised. Fashion was his expertise, after all. But more than that, in the short year they’ve been together, Katsuhiko was able to memorize Sakuma’s body so that he could buy him perfect fitting clothes with only a quick glance at the item. As for how he memorized that body, well….

Sakuma changed into a new set of clothes while putting the rest of the new ones back in the bag. He kissed Katsuhiko once again before heading out the bedroom door, bag swinging back and forth in his hand. 

Katsuhiko ran towards the kitchen and picked up a basket. He blocked Sakuma at the entrance and held the basket out to him.

“What’s this?” Sakuma chuckled.

“Food. I know you’re good at taking care of yourself and even the others, Akira-san especially. But I wanted to give it to you anyway.”

“Did you make this?” Sakuma sounded wary, and Katsuhiko scowled.

“You ungrateful jerk. No, I didn’t make it. Miss Makiko gave it to me to give to you, so you don’t have to worry about food poisoning or anything like that.” Katsuhiko turned away in anger. “Dick,” he muttered under his breath.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.” Sakuma turned Katsuhiko’s face towards him and leaned in, kissing that scowl away from those pretty lips. And Katsuhiko hated himself for how quickly his mild anger evaporated at Sakuma’s sincere words and loving gestures. _Damn that detective for being so good and perfect._

Katsuhiko walked him out the door, but before Sakuma could go too far, he tugged on the older man’s sleeve. “Wait. I have one more present for you.”

“What is it?” 

The younger man reached into his pocket and pulled out a whistle on a chain. He signaled Sakuma to bend down so he could put it on him like a necklace.

“A whistle?” Sakuma smiled at him. 

“Blow on it when you’re in danger, and I’ll come rescue you.”

“You’re perfect,” Sakuma breathed. “But Katsuhiko... Everyday you’re with me, every time you show up in my thoughts or in my dreams… Well, you’re saving me everyday just by letting me love you.”

“Takahide you sap!” Katsuhiko threw himself at him, and they held each other tight. 

“I’m going to catch him this time,” Sakuma whispered in his ear. “When I get a day off, I’ll take you on a trip to Tokyo on that new train they’re building.”

“The bullet train? For real?” Katsuhiko’s eyes lit up in excitement.

“Yeah. Plus the winter holidays are coming up soon, remember? We can celebrate in Tokyo.”

“Would you take me shopping?”

Sakuma pulled back and glared, but it wasn’t serious. “Sure. I’ll carry all your bags while you drain both our wallets and shop to your heart’s content.” 

“Ok! Then it’s a promise,” Katsuhiko giggled. 

Sakuma sighed fondly and kissed his forehead. “I haven’t been home for 5 days, and I only got to spend a few hours here… Now I have to leave you all alone again. I’m sorry...” 

“At least you came, if only for a little while. It’s enough for now.” Katsuhiko smiled at him warmly, but his eyes were shining with unspilled tears. “Just come back home no matter how late you are, okay?”

Sakuma’s chest hurt so much from both adoration and sadness. “Ok. I’ll be back.” He gave Katsuhiko one last kiss before reluctantly walking away, back to the station. Katsuhiko stood in that spot for a while and watched Sakuma disappear from view, silently wishing him the best of luck in this most unusual and frustrating murder case. 

* * *

As much as he enjoyed being around Yuuki and Honma, Sakuma was getting sick and tired of spending nights at Yuuki’s apartment. But out of the three, Yuuki lived the closest to the station, and they refused to sleep at the station with the other detectives. 

As Honma snored quietly on the living room sofa, Yuuki and Sakuma were sitting at the kitchen table, files spread out on the table.

“Mark where I tell you,” Yuuki whispered. Sakuma nodded and got his map and pen ready. Yuuki listed off the different locations where the bodies had been found.

“This last place is Kameroto Tunnel.” Sakuma dutifully marked it. “Now, my favorite student, what do you think?”

“I’ll be honest, Senpai... I have no fucking clue.” Yuuki raised an eyebrow at this. “The best I can think of is that these locations must have meant something to him.” 

“Well, let’s try to think like the killer for a second. Don’t make that face, it’s only pretend.” Sakuma quickly wiped the sour expression from his face and replaced it with one that was carefully neutral. “Better,” Yuuki patted his head before continuing. “So, the killer would’ve started killing in a place they’re familiar with. Notice how each murder gets progressively further away from the first location? So as they felt more confident because they weren’t getting caught, they would try their luck at places further and further away from where they first started. Since the first body was found by the Esakuribo River, then they most likely live in Esakuribo District.”

Sakuma whistled in amazement, but Yuuki quickly shushed him. Honma was still asleep, after all, and the man was a surprisingly light sleeper. It was only due to exhaustion that he hadn’t woken up at any point during Yuuki and Sakuma’s conversation.

“So is our next move to investigate Esakuribo?” 

Yuuki nodded. “Yeah, let’s leave that for tomorrow. I think we did enough for today. Let’s try to get some sleep.”

“Right. Let me just go call Katsuhiko real quick.”

“You are so whipped,” Yuuki sneered. Sakuma flipped him off and walked away to go wish his boyfriend good night. 

Yuuki smiled to himself. He had done well in setting up his partner with his cousin. _Those two are so disgustingly adorable_ , Yuuki thought before knocking out from sheer exhaustion. 

Sakuma ended his phone call soon enough and groaned when he saw Yuuki passed out on the kitchen table. Because he was such a caring partner, he lifted Yuuki up and dumped him on his bed, before hopping onto the air mattress he had won from Honma earlier. He easily fell asleep, and for the first time in a while he felt hopeful that they were close to finally catching the criminal who’s evaded them for so long. _We’ll catch you soon enough, murderer. Just you wait._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Makutawei Air Field is a fictional location that’s very loosely based on Matsushima Air Base in Japan. The name is inspired by Mark Twain, a famous American author from the mid-1800s.  
> ~ I’m too lazy to edit the previous chapter again, so I’ll say this here: Tomusawa is a fictional Japanese town based on the setting for the drama I took this plot from. Tunnel takes place in Hwayang, a place in South Korea (though I’m not sure which Hwayang exactly because there are a few.) So Tomusawa has characteristics of this place, but it’s also based on Matsushima, a town in Miyagi Prefecture in Japan, if only because it’s close to an army training base.  
> ~ I refer to Tomusawa as a small town because it pretty much is, but it’s not ridiculously small. More like a not-quite-a-city-but-almost kind of place, but it has a strong ‘small town’ feel. Small but growing I guess. Its name is inspired by Tom Sawyer, one of Twain’s most famous characters.  
> ~ In a similar manner, Hakuberi Fashion (Katsuhiko’s job) was named after Huckleberry Finn, arguably Twain’s most famous character.  
> ~ Nikuman: Japanese name for a Chinese baozi, which is a steamed bun made from flour dough and filled with beef, pork, or other ingredients.  
> ~ Kameroto and Esakuribo: names are inspired by Camelot and Excalibur, from Arthurian legend. The Arthurian legend is a collection of stories centered around Arthur Pendragon, a legendary British king from medieval times.  
> ~ Detective Shimano: a kind detective. (1985 Hatano)  
> ~ I suck at writing sad scenes so if it feels like I’m basically telling you to be sad at certain parts… I kinda am lmao. I am trying my best damn it.  
> ~ I’m not sure what crime the uncooperative soldier committed, but most likely scenario he got into a serious fight, perhaps with a civilian. Might explain his reluctance to talk since he didn’t want to get into some serious legal troubles.  
> ~ Please don’t think Yuuki and Sakuma (+ Honma) are the only good detectives or the only competent ones. All the workers in the Division are good in their own right, but Yuuki is well, Yuuki. Honma is also a great detective, but his specialty is corruption cases or cases that are more administrative (?), not necessarily on the field. As for Sakuma, the anime shows us how he is quite sharp when he needs to be and even Yuuki had been surprised at how far Sakuma went to investigate him. These three are the best, but not the only good ones. What sets them apart is their willingness to think outside the box and accept unconventional reasoning, whereas many of the others are trapped in the old-school/standard methods. (I know I’m the one who’s calling them idiots but still,,,)
> 
> P.S. Am I a dick for making Katsuhiko / 1985 Miyoshi excited about trains? Not gonna lie, I was kinda giggling when I wrote that part bfdhbfhds


	4. Tunnel

Yuuki and Sakuma searched every possible corner of Esakuribo District, but came up empty handed. At this point Sakuma couldn’t even be surprised. He doodled absentmindedly on his notepad as he and Yuuki walked through an alleyway, and in his distraction he tripped and fell, bringing Yuuki down with him. 

Yuuki was about to yell at Sakuma about paying attention where he walks, but he froze as soon as a young boy’s cries echo throughout the back alley. Sakuma quickly gets up and runs towards the sound, and Yuuki shakes his head fondly before he follows.

“I didn’t do it!” a boy, probably no older than 12, yells at the crowd of teenagers and children that have him surrounded like vultures. Yuuki decides to step off to the side and let Sakuma handle this. Unlike the younger detective, Yuuki hates dealing with children. Plus, he could sneak in a quick smoke while Sakuma was distracted.

“Don’t lie to us! We all know you did it!” 

“Where have you been taking our dogs?”

“Don’t try to deny it!”

“Give me back my dog, you freak!”

A tall girl steps forwards and is about to punch him, and Sakuma finally realizes he should intervene. 

“Ok, that’s enough! What exactly is going on here?” The detective glared at the crowd. Whatever the kid might have done, he didn’t think he deserved this sort of treatment.

The same girl who’d been about to punch the boy glared back, but Sakuma was too intimidating for her. A smaller girl who strongly resembled the first stepped forward to explain the situation to him.

“Lately, a lot of dogs in the neighborhood have been disappearing. I think it’s happening outside of Esakuribo as well. Anyway, at first my mom told me someone must have been stealing them to sell them, but then I noticed something strange.

On the night my dog, Baki, disappeared, I remember seeing this boy,” she pointed at the kid with a sharp glare, “standing outside my house. I asked if he’s seen Baki but he said he didn’t. But still! I know it was him!”

“That’s right!” someone else called out!

“He’s been stealing our dogs, sir. Trust us!”

“He obviously lied to her! He’s a thief!”

More accusations were hurled towards the boy, which made him cry even harder. Sakuma couldn’t take the sight. If the boy was guilty, he deserved the fairness of a search and trial at least. 

Sakuma got down so he could look him in the eye. “Ok, so this is what we’ll do. You’ll take me to your house so I can search it.” He held up his badge when the boy looked skeptical. “If I see anything off, I’ll bring you into the station. If not, you’re innocent.”

Yuuki coughed. _That’s not necessarily true_ , he chided Sakuma in his head. If Sakuma found nothing, it could mean the kid was smart enough to hide the dogs somewhere else, or that he sold them all already. _But then again, he’s only 12. He can’t be that smart, can he?_

The boy seemed hesitant, but he agreed. Sakuma dispersed the crowd with firm promises to figure out the truth behind the dogs’ disappearances, and set off towards the boy’s house. Yuuki sighed and put out his cigarette to follow. 

When they were far away enough from the crowd, Sakuma thought it’d be safe to speak. “So, kid… what’s your name?” he asked the boy gently.

“Masayuki Oikawa.”

“Ok, Masayuki. Could you please lead the way to your house so my partner and I can search it?”

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” The kid rolled his eyes, but he dutifully led them through a poorer neighborhood in Esakuribo until he stopped in front of a particularly run-down house. _More like a shack than a house_ , thought both detectives. But neither would dare to say that out loud to the poor child. 

Sakuma and Yuuki conducted a proper thorough search of the place, but found nothing. Sakuma was secretly hoping that would be the case, and he mentally sighed in relief. Masayuki seemed like such a sweet kid, and he must have only been accused because the other kids hated him due to his poverty. Such blatant discrimination made Sakuma’s blood boil, but he needed to say professional. He bid Masayuki goodbye and went to clear the boy’s name to the other kids. Yuuki shook his head in disapproval. There was no outright evidence, but something about Masayuki unnerved him. He opted to stay quiet and ignore him. There were more pressing issues he needed to worry about, after all. _Let’s hope Sakuma doesn’t regret this_.

* * *

Later that same day, a farmer digs along a field, looking for a good spot to plant flower seeds his new houseplant had given him. He came across an especially green patch of grass and started digging. He stops when he hits something soft and squishy and hey that doesn’t sound right... His shovel comes up stained with red. He starts digging frantically now, and what he finds makes him vomit. 

The police are called in, and a few can’t help but to throw up at what they saw. About 8 different bodies of dogs were found, all in various stages of decay. One officer had the bad luck of getting blood all over his clothes and screamed. They had no idea who could have done this or why, and they had no way of determining a suspect. In the end, the police decided to contact anyone who had reported a missing dog and called them down to the station so that they could identify and claim the bodies.

One particular pair of sisters had the misfortune of finding their precious dog, Baki, in a police body bag. They gave him a proper burial, and even though the detective from earlier had said the boy was innocent, they cursed Masayuki Oikawa to hell and back. 

* * *

Sakuma glanced at his watch and sighed. It’s late at night, and the office is mostly empty, save for a few detectives sneaking in some rest in between investigating. Yuuki was no exception.

As his mentor snored away at his desk, Sakuma nervously fidgeted in his seat. He suddenly stood up and grabbed his red lantern. He briefly considered waking Yuuki up, but decided against it. He deserved the rest. Besides, Sakuma was sure this was something he needed to do on his own. The events of today still weighed heavily on his mind, and he could use a distraction. All the better if said distraction also happened to lead to the skirt killer’s arrest.

He snuck out of the office with ease, since every detective was too caught up in themselves to notice or care. 

The night air was refreshing against Sakuma’s warm skin. He strolled through an abandoned road, swinging his lantern back and forth. He stopped to turn it on and held it steady when he got to an area that was no longer lit by streetlights.

_The estimated times of death for all these cases was between 9pm and 11pm. If I go to any of the crime scenes during those hours, I might be able to find something. It’s kind of stupid, but at this point I’m willing to try anything that comes to mind._

Sakuma decided to try his luck at Kameroto Tunnel. The body of the second victim had been found near a pond in this area, so he figured this was the best place to look after the failure in Esakuribo. It was simply the chronological order. 

_I’ll search all night if I have to. We need to find that 5th body. Where on Earth could it possibly have been abandoned?_

He slowly walked towards the tunnel. Right as he got the entrance, his lantern light flickered horribly and went out. He tried to get it to turn back on, but to no avail. _They really couldn’t afford to give us better equipment than this?_ Sakuma sighed, and nearly choked in disgust. The nauseating stench of cigarettes was in the air. 

He looked up, and sure enough, there was a hooded figure in the distance, and Sakuma could see the little orange light of a lit cigarette. He approached the figure cautiously, and the closer he got, the more disturbed he became. The figure seemed to be spazzing out, especially with the weird movements their arms were making. Almost like a choke hold position. The figure kept the choke hold around the air and rocked back and forth, as though they were struggling against am invisible foe.

His eyes widened in realization. Sakuma could see it so clearly in his head. A young woman fighting for her life, her eyes turning white, breathing shaky and ragged. The stocking or pantyhose getting tighter and tighter around her neck, skin turning blue from the lack of air. Her eyes shiny with tears, her skirt being ripped or pulled. Clawing and scratching and kicking and screaming.

 _It’s him._ The figure was a man, of that he was certain. Sakuma sprinted towards the figure, not caring that he was alerting him to his presence. And as expected, the figure got up and ran deeper into the tunnel.

“You piece of shit!” Sakuma’s yell echoed throughout the tunnel. _This bastard killed Momoko and Miss Miyoshi and other innocent women in the most cruel and unusual way. I’m not stopping until I catch him!_

He ran as fast as he could, keeping his eyes focused on the man’s silhouette, since the lighting in the tunnel was abysmal to say the least. He never once took his eyes off on him, and yet, the figure suddenly vanished.

Sakuma froze in his tracks and looked around frantically, but he couldn’t see anything. Next thing he knew, someone was pulling him from behind, and he felt something hard hit him in the back of his head. And for some reason, it felt like he was missing something around his neck… He collapsed onto the ground, and he lay helplessly as blood ran down his face. He managed to notice the smirk the criminal gave him before he disappeared towards the other end of the tunnel. 

Sakuma’s breathing was slowing down, and he could feel his vision start to fade. Then came a sudden flash of light. _Don’t tell me… Of all times, you decide you want to work_ **_now_** _?_ The beam from Sakuma’s red lantern caught on something small and shiny.

_“A whistle?”_

_“Blow on it when you’re in danger, and I’ll come rescue you.”_

Sakuma reached out towards the whistle, his hands trembling from the exertion. A sweet face with pretty hair and a condescending smirk flashed in his mind, and he pushed himself even harder. But all his anger and determination were not enough to keep the inevitable at bay. “Katsuhiko,” he gasped out, and his vision turned to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for the short length of this chapter. (Well, short in comparison to the previous two.) But I wanted to get this part out of the way so I could get to the exciting skip through time Sakuma is about to experience. Also, the Masayuki Oikawa part was a pain to write out and might seem confusing or unnecessary, but I promise I’m not putting him there for no reason.
> 
> I feel like this is the weakest chapter yet, but in my defense I wrote this in less than a day. I got sidetracked by a different Joker Game AU I’m working on, and I’ll actually be posting it soon once I have a title and book cover done lol.
> 
> Also, the prologue seems different from the ending scene in this chapter because that's how it was in the original drama. Truth be told, I'm watching the drama as I write because it's been such a long time since I watched it. (I want to say it's been a little under a year?) So it feels inconsistent but let's pretend the prologue is vague enough for the two parts of the story to NOT clash ahaha
> 
> I promise the next chapter will be so much better!


	5. Unit D

A small white car turned sharply at an intersection and raced along the street, darting between cars as it went. A black SUV followed in hot pursuit. 

The young man driving the white car glanced at the rear view mirror, and cursed when he saw how the SUV was getting closer and closer. His cheek still stung from a deep cut he’d gotten earlier, but he ignored the pain and kept driving. He continued to push past and in between cars, but he couldn’t shake off the other car. 

But sometimes Lady Luck decides she wants to help you out. The man somehow managed to get past an intersection just as the light went red, and his pursuer had no choice but to stop to let other cars finish their turn, lest he get run over. 

The young man doesn’t dare relax, and he turns up the speed in a run for his life.

* * *

Sakuma groaned in pain as he forced himself to stand up. His head felt like it had been split open, and it hurt to even open his eyes. He dragged his feet through the tunnel with only one thought in his mind, _Where is that criminal?_

As he exited the tunnel, his headache got worse, though his vision had gotten a little better. _Why is it so foggy all of a sudden?_ He was tired and confused, because there had been no signs of a fog rolling in when he’d first entered the tunnel. He dismissed it as him hitting his head too hard and continued to stumble his way through the fog.

Behind him, the tunnel’s exit was suddenly covered in thick vines. 

Sakuma trudged along the empty street and stopped at an intersection. It was empty so he kept walking, unaware of his surroundings since he could barely see. 

The next thing he knows there are tires screeching, and he freezes up as a white car speeds towards him. It was sheer luck that allowed the driver to hit the brakes in time, so the car didn’t touch Sakuma at all, but it was still too close. Sakuma stepped aside, and the driver rolled down his window to ask if he was okay. When Sakuma looked up to answer, he was stunned. 

Even with his currently poor eyesight, he could tell that the other man looked just like himself. _Maybe he’s a distant cousin or relative?_ He tried to speak, but when he was about to, the young man suddenly rolled his windows back up and drove off. Sakuma stood there blinking in confusion. _That was certainly weird... Damn my head hurts._

He heard a honk, and barely jumped out of the way as a black SUV rushed past him. His heart was pounding and if he was in any danger of passing out before, he was certainly wide awake now. He frantically looked around to make sure no other cars would surprise him and sighed in relief. _How did I almost get run over twice in a row? How did I manage to not die at any point tonight?_ Sakuma was in a lot of pain, but still grateful to be alive. He walked along a few empty streets before finally arriving at the Tomusawa Police Station. 

He went straight into the Violent Crime Division office and collapsed onto a couch, still painfully unaware of his surroundings. “Yuuki-senpai,” he groaned in pain, “I hope you had a nice nap because I could really use some help right now.” When he didn’t get a response, Sakuma whined. _Guess I’ll have to clean my injuries myself._ He tried to get up, but the pain had taken a lot of energy out of him and he fell back. He managed to grab a towel off the table next to him and cleaned up the blood from the side of his head as best as he could, though by now most of it had already dried up. It may have been unsanitary but it was the best he could do. 

Sakuma forced himself to sit up on the couch. He looked through the glass screen that definitely hadn’t been there before, and his breath caught when he saw a certain someone sitting at one of the desks. _Katsuhiko? Why is he here? He’s not even a detective!_ Sakuma somehow found the strength to stand up and cautiously walked towards Katsuhiko. This was too confusing and he needed answers and a familiar presence now.

Sakuma trudged towards the man, and with each step his heart sank lower and lower, but he didn’t understand why. Why would he feel dread as he approached the man who was so clearly his boyfriend that he loves and adores? Something had definitely gone wrong in the time Sakuma was away, of that he was certain.

The other man took notice of him immediately and turned towards him. He looked surprised to see him for what must have been less than a second, but his expression easily turned into one of absolute boredom. “Can I help you, sir?” he asked irritably.

 _Yeah this guy isn’t Katsuhiko for sure_ . This man might have his face and voice and flawless hair and even impeccable sense of fashion, but he still wasn’t him. _What the hell is going on?_ Sakuma decided to play stupid and oblivious because he had a feeling that if he said the wrong thing, he’d get written off as crazy. 

“W-where am I exactly?” he asked with genuine confusion. He knew this was supposed to be the Tomusawa Police Station, and had even seen the sign out front, but it no longer felt like the station that had become like a second home.

Not-Katsuhiko raised an elegant eyebrow and scoffed. “This building is the Tomusawa Police Station. You’re on the first floor, Violent Crime Division section. More specifically, you’re in Unit D’s office. Honestly. I’m not sure how you even managed to get in if you don’t even know _that_ much.” The man spoke to him the way an adult would to a toddler, and Sakuma resisted the urge to punch that annoyingly pretty face.

“The door was open,” Sakuma shrugged. “Fuck my head still hurts.” He reached for the back of his head and winced when he felt a bump where he’d been hit earlier. “You wouldn’t happen to have a first aid kit on hand, would you?” He looked around, hoping he could find one for himself, and as he did so he was hit with wave after wave of shock. 

Not-Katsuhiko had been sitting on a desk where his own desk had once been. Where there had once been typewriters, strange flat devices had taken their place. The messy files cabinets at the front and back of the office were now neat and organized, and the cabinets looked a lot nicer, not to mention newer. The walls had been beige last time Sakuma checked, but now they were a pristine white. And even the once-wooden doors were now gone and replaced with some kind of metal. 

Sakuma wanted to cry from the frustration of not knowing what the hell was going on.

The man, meanwhile, must have had some change in attitude because he quickly went to fetch the first aid kit Sakuma had asked for and pulled out supplies with shaky hands. “Why me of all people? Fukumoto or Odagiri or even Tazaki would’ve been way better at handling this,” he grumbled, and in the empty office Sakuma could hear every word clearly. The man approached him with some bandages and other stuff in his hand, looking like he’d rather be doing _literally anything else_. He soaked a towel in what appeared to be water and carefully held it up to Sakuma’s head. Because of the height difference, he had to tiptoe a bit, and for a moment, he was almost as cute as Katsuhiko. Sakuma bent down a little to make it easier on them both. 

“Motherfucker!” Sakuma howled in pain. That was no water! It was rubbing alcohol!

“You’re the one who asked for the first aid kit, dumbass. Now stay still!”

“Are you insane? That was rubbing alcohol you just put on me! Do you have any idea how badly that hurt?” Sakuma stood up straighter so the man couldn’t reach him. 

“Of course it was alcohol. What else were you expecting?” The man reached towards him again, but Sakuma instinctively stopped him by wrapping his hand around the other’s wrist. “Huh? Let go of me?” The shorter man aimed a kick at Sakuma’s leg, but he dodged it while maintaining his hold. Sakuma then pushed him against the bars by the entrance, making sure not to use excessive force. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Not-Katsuhiko snapped. Sakuma loosened his hold out of guilt. The man took advantage and forced Sakuma’s arm off of him while pushing _him_ against the bars this time. He was glaring up at him with a coldness that almost reminded Sakuma of his mentor. 

The short man had his free hand clenched, preparing for a punch, but then the fax machine started whirring, startling both men. Sakuma took advantage of the distraction and pushed Not-Katsuhiko against the bars again, this time reaching into his pocket to get his handcuffs. _Thank god they didn’t fall out during the chase._ He handcuffed the short man to the bars, and walked over to the machine. He wasn’t sure what possessed him to do this, but he couldn’t be bothered to worry too much about it. There were more pressing issues at hand. 

The man, for his part, was desperately trying to keep his composure. This crazy guy walks in bleeding and confused, and out of the kindness of his own heart he gets this stranger the first aid kit and tries to help him out. And he has the audacity to fight him and do this?

“Ok, seriously? What the hell? Don’t tell me you’re a cop…”

“I’m a detective actually but close enough.”

“What’s your name and station? I don’t know what kind of joke you’re playing on me but it’s not funny. Uncuff me right now!”

Sakuma ignored him and pulled out the document that had just arrived through the fax. 

_‘Order of Transfer: Detective Natsuo Sakuma.’ Born 1992?_ Sakuma lowered the paper, hopelessly confused. _Wasn’t it 1986?_ He kept reading. _‘Transfer order issued for arrival on December 6th, 2016.’ Wait, 2016?_ Well. It was December 5, 1986 when he had chased that criminal through the tunnel, so the date kind of made sense. But all the same: what the hell?

 _So it’s the same day, but not the same year…_ Sakuma was sure he had gone insane. _But the new office, this guy I just handcuffed, the documents, the sign outside… It all proves that this still is Tomusawa, but 30 years in the future? No, that’s impossible! Time travel isn’t real!_ He walked over to Not-Katsuhiko’s desk and sat down. He needed to just sit down and process this logically, the way Yuuki would if he were in this situation. 

Sakuma turned the page of the document and froze. _This looks like the same guy who almost ran me over!_ Sakuma thought back to the name, Natsuo Sakuma, and this face. He hadn’t been mistaken earlier; this man really did look like himself, only with a softer, rounder face. Every bit of that face bore the Sakuma genes, so again, he figured Natsuo was a relative of his. 

The whirlwind of shock, confusion, and pain of this whole thing were too much for Sakuma to bear, and he promptly fainted right there on Not-Katsuhiko’s desk.

* * *

Detective Ryuji Kaminaga and Detective Yasuki Hatano were the first ones to arrive at Unit D’s office the next morning. They were in the middle of a heated debate over which movie theater snack is the best when their eyes landed on an unusual sight.

“I’m telling you, nachos are where it’s at-” Kaminaga jumped. “What the fuck? Oh, is that Miyoshi?” 

“He really spent the night here? And- oh my gosh! Are those handcuffs?” Hatano snickered. “Psst. Miyoshi. Miyoshi! Hiro Miyoshi, wake your ass up!” 

“It’s best if we don’t wake him up. We wouldn’t want to ruin his precious beauty sleep, now would we?” Kaminaga grinned mischievously. 

Detective Shunichi Tazaki walked in next and stopped in his tracks. When he saw what his fellow detectives were laughing at, he let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

The next ones to come in were Unit D’s resident ‘annoying couple,’ Detective Shouto Jitsui and Detective Jirou Gamo. When they caught sight of Miyoshi handcuffed near the entrance, they glanced at each other and burst into laughter. 

“Who managed to catch this jackass off guard enough to handcuff him? I’m so proud of whoever did it!” Gamo whipped out his phone and started snapping pictures, Kaminaga and Hatano following suit. Tazaki shook his head at their behavior but he stepped off to the side so he wouldn't be blocking their view. 

One by one, the other detectives of Unit D started coming in, and they all had their own reactions to seeing their coworker was in. 

“Who did this?” Detective Toshiyuki Amari wheezed. He was shaking so hard he had to lean against a wall for support. 

Detective Kazuya Fukumoto smirked in amusement but walked past the whole scene and straight to his desk. 

And Detective Daisuke Odagiri had stopped and blinked rapidly in surprise. When he snapped himself out of it, he asked Gamo, Kaminaga, and Hatano to send all the pictures they took to the unit’s group chat, to which they readily agreed. Odagiri was already making a slideshow in his head as he walked away and he had lots of ideas for songs he’d set it to (the [circus song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjedLeVGcfE) was a strong possibility.)

“If he ever pisses us off, we can blackmail him with this,” Hatano remarked cheerfully.

“Blackmail who with what?” a deep voice asked from behind the group.

“Oh shit!”

“Jesus fuck that scared me!”

“Old man don’t sneak up on us like that!”

Their boss rolled his eyes and moved around them to get to his desk. However, he paused when he saw Miyoshi. “Do I even want to know?” he asked the detectives in an uninterested-but-not-really tone. 

“We don’t know either,” Kaminaga grinned. “We’re just grateful to whoever did it!” He went through some of the pictures he took and smiled. “These are so going in the photo album!”

At that, the currently handcuffed detective known as Hiro Miyoshi startled awake and glared at every single one of his colleagues, boss included. 

“Good morning Miyoshi,” Jitsui greeted him sweetly, “I didn’t know you had a handcuffs kink. Who exactly put you on to it? When you walked in on me and Jirou last week did that make you want to try it, too-”

“Jitsui I just woke up. It’s way too early for your bullshit. I mean, there’s never a right time for it but still…” Miyoshi yawned and tried to get up, but he was yanked back because of the handcuffs. The others tried to muffle their laughter but failed. Miyoshi glared at them all again, his eyes circling the room until they stopped at his desk.

On Miyoshi’s desk snoring softly was the stranger from last night. While Miyoshi had been able to maneuver himself to lie down semi-comfortably on the couch conveniently next to the bars, the stranger was slumped over the desk, and Miyoshi almost winced in sympathy. Almost, because Miyoshi fully remembered what that crazy jerk pulled last night and he was in too shitty a mood to be concerned for him. And it didn’t help matters in the least when he saw Odagiri giggling at his phone and when they made eye contact, Odagiri had laughed even harder. The other detectives smirked at him. _I hate every single one of you_ , Miyoshi thought bitterly.

* * *

Sakuma woke up with a terrible headache and the back of his head hurt. A lot. And with how he’d slept last night, his back was really stiff and it ached and he wanted Katsuhiko to give him one of his magic massages and… _Oh_ . Sakuma looked around and immediately made eye contact with not-Katsuhiko and in an instant he realized that he was really, really far from home. _I was really hoping that 2016 mess was just a dream. Damn_. He got up and went to release the man. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that, he thought as the other glared at him fiercely. If looks could kill, Sakuma would be 6 feet under right now.

“Oh shit that was you?” Jirou cackled and stepped aside to let him through. Sakuma grunted in affirmation as he released Miyoshi, who then shoved Sakuma away in disgust.

“Ok, I realized I probably shouldn’t have done that but in my defense-”

“Name and station. Now.” Miyoshi, who was normally calm and collected no matter the situation, was furious. (But not overly so, if the muffled laughs coming from the other men was any indication, but Sakuma didn’t notice through his fear.)

Sakuma’s blood ran cold. He didn’t know what to answer. If he gave an honest answer, they’d think he was crazy. ‘Detective Takahide Sakuma, Violent Crime Division, Unit 1,’ would not check out in 2016, because Sakuma was from 1986, and there was no way this guy wouldn’t go check the records to make sure. _What would Yuuki-senpai do?_ Sakuma wondered. _First of all, he wouldn’t have resorted to using the handcuffs like this. He hates using them and usually has me do it. He’d do something smart and clever and mindblowing… But I’m not him..._

 _Play stupid_ , his brain told him. _I have a head injury, so if I act like I have amnesia, I can get away with asking questions that someone from this time should already know the answers to._ And boy did Sakuma have a lot of questions...

“My name?” Miyoshi rolled his eyes and nodded. “I- My name is-” Sakuma paused and tried to look like he genuinely couldn’t remember. “I don’t know,” he sighed. 

“What do you mean you don’t know? Wait. Don’t tell me you have amnesia!” 

Sakuma titled his head in false confusion. “What’s that?” 

Miyoshi groaned and sat back down on the couch.

The other detectives had been watching this exchange silently, letting Miyoshi do all the interrogating. As amused as they had been by the handcuff thing, they were all wary of this man. He shouldn’t even be here, since this was exclusively Unit D’s office. As soon as the topic of amnesia came up, this made them even more alert and cautious. 

Odagiri walked over to get a good look at the man so he could determine his threat level, but gasped when he saw his face. “Natsuo?” He immediately relaxed and hugged the man who’d handcuffed Miyoshi with an excitement he’d never shown around Unit D. “It’s so good to see you! Wow, you’ve sure been working out! You’re much more muscular than the last time I saw you, too,” Odagiri felt up Sakuma’s biceps in admiration, and the latter’s cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of pink. “I thought you wouldn’t be here until later today, but this is a nice surprise!” Odagiri’s face fell when Sakuma showed no sign of recognizing him. “Oh. You really do have amnesia…”

 _He thought I was faking it?_ Sakuma frowned. Of course he did. He’s a detective, a damn good one, too, apparently. The rest seemed to be on a similar level. _Ah shit, playing stupid around them will be practically impossible!_

Hatano caught sight of something in the stranger’s pocket and snatched it. A document. He opened it and skimmed through. _‘Order of Transfer: Detective Natsuo Sakuma.’_ He discreetly showed it to the others, and this paper lowered their suspicions somewhat. This man before them was clearly a detective prodigy like they were; he had to be for their leader to have asked for his transfer to their unit. But a lot of them were annoyed that Odagiri had known and they hadn’t, Miyoshi especially. 

“Well, amnesia or not, he sure pulled a good one on Miyoshi,” Amari tried to break the tension, and that earned him a few uneasy chuckles. 

“Miyoshi?” Sakuma asked with a little too much surprise in his voice. _That’s Hansuke’s surname!_ It was nice to have something familiar in this place that was anything but. 

“That would be me,” the detective he’d handcuffed told Sakuma in a clipped tone. 

“He’s our resident narcissist and thinks he’s gonna take over the unit someday,” a man next to him piped up. Sakuma turned to him and nearly jumped when he saw his face. _He looks like an older version of that guy Momoko liked!_ “I’m Kaminaga. Pleasure to meet you. Try not to fall for me, though I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” and the man named Kaminaga winked at him. Sakuma tried not to shudder.

“Kaminaga, you are so _insufferable_ . Ignore him, new guy,” a short man kicked Kaminaga in the shin, and the latter howled in pain. “Anyways, I’m Hatano.” _He looks like Detective Shimano._

“Tazaki.”

“Hello, I’m Jitsui. And this is my boyfriend Gamo.” The man named Gamo nodded at him in greeting.

“Hi there! I’m Amari!” _He looks exactly like Ichiro…_

“Fukumoto,” a voice from behind Sakuma said, and he jumped. Sakuma turned around to look at him and almost jumped again. _He kinda looks like that jackass Reporter Shizuka! Only younger and a lot more handsome… Ok Takahide. Let’s stop that train of thought before it can even leave the station..._

“And I’m Odagiri. Your best friend,” the man who had been feeling his biceps grumbled. 

“Nice to meet you all- Ah motherfucker!” The back of Sakuma’s head flared up in pain, and he put his hand up there to try to control it. Jitsui grabbed the first aid kit Miyoshi had left on the couch and pulled out a cloth. He pressed it to the side of the new guy’s head under the guise of helping him, but it was really to see if there was a real injury. Jitsui winced when he felt a nasty bump at the back of the man’s head, close to the left ear. _Yeah, that’ll do it_ , he thought. He looked at the others and nodded. 

They all relaxed and left for their own desks. Gamo chose to stay behind to help his boyfriend, and because he was curious about the newcomer. Things at the office were about to get a lot more interesting. 

* * *

Unit D’s leader had been seated at his desk, watching the whole thing with calculating eyes. He was not one to get startled easily, but as soon as he laid eyes on their unit’s newest member, he had nearly fainted from the shock. _I knew they were related, but his resemblance to_ **_that_ ** _detective is too much!_ Natsuo Sakuma even wore the same style of clothes Takahide Sakuma would wear back in the day. It was too much of a coincidence, and the old man cursed the universe for being so cruel to his heart. He grabbed the only picture he had on his desk and studied it carefully. The day they had taken it, Takahide Sakuma’s hair had been a proper mess, and he had given it his all to tame it into something presentable. The old man chuckled at the memory of him brandishing a spraying bottle and his boss a comb. Conquering Sakuma’s hair was at least a 5-man job, but he and Chief Honma were always able to manage.

He picked up his plaque and sighed. ‘Detective Inspector Akira Yuuki: Unit D Squad Leader,’ it read. In the span of 30 years he hadn’t climbed the ranks too highly, though it wasn’t due to a lack of skill. If anything, it was because he was too good at his job, and the higher-ups hated him for it. Takahide had been perfect by the higher-ups’ standards until Yuuki took him under his wing and helped him grow into a much better detective, and soon the trio of Honma, Yuuki, and Sakuma were acknowledged as great detectives, though some were wary of them. But Sakuma, at least, was a hard worker and had the potential to climb the ranks in a way Yuuki could only dream of, because everyone who met Sakuma actually liked him. _And now he’s gone and I miss him so much even after all this time_ \- Yuuki stopped himself. Now was not the time to be getting emotional over the first detective he’s ever trained. That was reserved for Saturday nights in his lonely apartment, not Tuesday mornings surrounded by his nosy yet brilliant Unit D detectives. 

He subtly glanced back and forth between the picture and Natsuo Sakuma. Those Sakuma genes were too strong, Yuuki decided. _I thought I would be okay by the time he arrived, but he really looks too much like his-_

Yuuki shook off his thoughts and stood up. It was time to start a meeting.

* * *

“Enough messing around. Did you all forget about our daily morning briefing?” Yuuki asked the detectives in an irritated voice. Sakuma flinched. The others snickered at his reaction. 

“Come on, Yuuki-san. We were only saying hi to our newest member!” Amari laughed. 

“Yeah, our newest member...” Miyoshi rolled his eyes. “Seems like anyone can join Unit D these days,” he muttered.

“Miyoshi,” Odagiri shot him a warning look. Miyoshi huffed and turned away.

 _Now, this was certainly unusual_ , Fukumoto mused. It wasn’t like Odagiri to get annoyed easily, but for his alleged best friend, he supposed this was a natural reaction. 

“Alright old man. Let’s get on with it,” Gamo replied with a bored look on his face. But no one missed how his eyes were lit up in excitement. Unit D has been dealing with too-easy cases, so a new member was certainly catching their interest. Not to mention, their unit was difficult to get into, and Yuuki himself would be the one inviting exceptional detectives to join. It’s been a while since they’ve had someone new, and they all couldn’t wait to welcome him (in their own unique ways.)

Of course, the guy was suffering from amnesia. How that happened would be quite a mystery to solve indeed. 

But that could be discussed at the meeting. The detectives all sat down at their respective desks, even Jitsui, who usually sat on Gamo’s lap and moved against him as though they were in private. (Yuuki had kicked them out of the meetings countless times because of this, and yet they never stopped.) But this was a special occasion, so the excessive-PDA couple were on their best behavior. For now. 

Odagiri had Sakuma sit on his desk while he stood behind him, holding Sakuma’s shoulders for support. The curious gazes of all the detectives burned into Sakuma’s skin. Well, almost all the detectives. Miyoshi refused to even look at him. 

“Woo! Let’s get this meeting started!” Kaminaga announced cheerfully, and the other 8 detectives groaned. Yuuki allowed himself a small twitch of the lips, his version of laughing, and Sakuma looked on with apprehension. “So this is Natsuo Sakuma,” Kaminaga continued. “He’s transferring here from-” he quickly glanced at the paper, “Sendai Police Station’s Crime Division, Unit 3. And it says here he was promoted to Senior Detective just recently. Three months ago, in fact.”

“So he outranks us,” Tazaki noted calmly. All 9 detectives under Yuuki were simply Detectives, the bottom most ranking in the entire division. But none of them minded too much, since they were all still better than the other detectives at the station put together. 

“A senior detective at 24 years old? That’s quite the accomplishment, Sakuma-san,” Miyoshi sneered. Odagiri threw an eraser at him, and smirked when it hit Miyoshi square in the forehead. 

“Nice one, Oda!”

“I wish I had recorded that!”

“Shut up!” Miyoshi snapped at Hatano and Kaminaga. He rubbed his forehead and pouted, and the sight made Sakuma’s heart ache with longing. _I miss Katsuhiko. I just want to be by his side again…_

“He must be something special if he was able to get that kind of promotion at his age,” Amari mused. Miyoshi scowled. _Please. He can’t be that good. What was Yuuki-san thinking when he brought him in?_ Miyoshi was _not_ jealous. No sir. Not at all. 

Sakuma was uncomfortable with all their commentary. _I’m 26, not 24. I’m a regular Detective just like all of you, not a Senior. And I’ve been working in Tomusawa all my life. The only Sakuma I know who lives in Sendai would be… No way…_ Sakuma suddenly stood up and ran out of the office. 

Being around all these friendly but strange people was overwhelming him and he had really screwed himself over when he went the amnesia route. _It was my best response, but I’m a terrible liar! They’ll catch me in the act for sure!_ Not to mention, they were all mistaking him for someone else and he simply refused to entertain this any longer, though he couldn’t exactly come clean either...

The others watched him leave in silence. When they were sure he was completely out of earshot, they started buzzing with speculations. 

“Did you see how confused the poor guy looked? I really do think he lost his memory.”

“Bullshit. Last night he said he was a detective when I asked if he was a cop.”

“We rank the same with cops anyway.”

“Yes but that’s not the point. How did he remember he was a detective to begin with?”

“Maybe it took awhile for the memory loss to kick in?”

“But I saw him faint when he read his own document…”

“What kind of reaction-”

“So he did know his name after all?”

“If he fainted wouldn’t that have made his injury worse? So he could have still been telling the truth.”

“I felt that bump on his head. It was near his temporal lobe, so the amnesia’s definitely possible.”

“Perhaps it’s only partial amnesia. He seems to have a vague understanding of police work intact.”

“Right! Let’s not forget the handcuffs, after all.”

“I say we do forget the handcuffs. Those of you who took pictures better delete them or else!”

“No way.” 

“Hell no.”

“Sure! But I already sent them to the group chat!”

“My slideshow is in the works as we speak,” Odagiri deadpanned as he tapped away at his phone. 

“Fuck you Odagiri!”

“No thanks. I’m happily married.” The detectives chuckled, and even Yuuki smirked at Odagiri’s response. 

“Hey Odagiri. Senior Detective Sakuma is your best friend, right? What are your thoughts?” Fukumoto brought the conversation back to Sakuma again. The other detectives all whipped their heads in Odagiri’s direction, and he winced. He hated when they all focused on him. It made him feel like he’d been caught red-handed doing something wrong even when he never did.

“Honestly, I’ve been friends with Natsuo pretty much our whole lives. And this is the first time I’ve seen him look so dazed and confused. I know him like the back of my hand, so I trust that he’s telling us the truth. Plus, he’s really bad at lying, so if he was faking it I would’ve caught him in the act already.”

“But he’s your best friend. Wouldn’t you have helped him lie?” 

“Maybe for 5 minutes at most. But he genuinely looked like he didn’t know me, and he’d never go that far for a prank.” Odagiri sighed. He hated being on the receiving end of Unit D’s questioning. 

“Ok, we believe you.”

“Yeah, Odagiri wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

“Yet he kept the transfer a secret from us...”

“In my defense I only found out yesterday morning!”

“You still could’ve told us!”

“Listen-”

“Moving on, I can’t believe Sakuma was walking around with these!” Jitsui held up the handcuffs in excitement. “He must be one kinky bastard.”

“We’re detectives, Jitsui. Carrying those around is part of our job.”

“Yeah but ours don’t look like that.”

“I agree. Notice how big and clunky they are? Ours are smaller and thinner, not to mention ours aren’t rusty.”

“They look like something from Yuuki-san’s time!” Miyoshi giggled. 

“Oh shit you’re right!” Jitsui handed the cuffs over to Yuuki. “Didn’t they use cuffs like these in your time, Yuuki-san?”

“You guys say ‘my time’ like I’m old or something,” Yuuki grumbled good-naturedly.

He inspected the cuffs, making sure to not show the tiniest hint of surprise or curiosity on his face. But boy was he surprised. And curious. Very curious, indeed. _I haven’t seen a pair like these in years! Where on Earth did he get these? We stopped using them over 20 years ago, and have been consistently upgrading since. Only someone who had been in the force back then would have had them, so did Natsuo know someone like that? If so, who?_

He put the handcuffs in his drawer without a word, and the detectives took it as a sign that for now, they were not to be discussed. 

Yuuki sent them all out on their missions and waited until they were gone to really think about the newest detective he had admitted into his unit. Like his detectives, he had his doubts about the supposed amnesia, but that cluelessness seemed genuine, so for the first time in ages, Yuuki wasn’t sure what to think. He picked up the phone and made a call that he was sure would lead him to some answers.

“Hey, it’s me. I’d like to request a copy of Senior Detective Natsuo Sakuma’s work history and personal files… Yes, email is fine... As soon as you possibly can… Thank you.”

Once he ended the call, Yuuki leaned back on his chair and sighed deeply. He closed his eyes and thought back to one of the worst nights in his entire life...

_“Sakuma! Detective Sakuma!”_

_“Takahide!”_

_“Takahide Sakuma!”_

_The search party’s calls echoed throughout the tunnel as they waved their flashlights about, hoping for even the slightest hint of Detective Sakuma’s presence. Yuuki was on high alert and his knuckles were white from gripping his flashlight too hard. Katsuhiko walked alongside him, looking like he would fall apart at any second. Yuuki reached over with his free hand to squeeze his cousin’s as a comforting gesture._

_Up ahead, Chief Honma was shaking anxiously. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted something red. “This was Sakuma’s!” he whispered. Yuuki and Katsuhiko ran towards him when they noticed. Honma gently handed the lantern over to Katsuhiko and stepped back._

_Katsuhiko ran his finger along the rim of the bulb and winced when he felt the cracks on the side. He held it to his chest, tears threatening to spill from his cat-like eyes. But he held them in and pushed past everyone else, filled with a new sense of determination. He would find Sakuma tonight, no matter what._

_A broken lantern in one hand and a functional one in the other, Katsuhiko marched on. He didn’t get far before his light shone on a rock stained with dried blood. He froze._

_Yuuki caught up to him soon enough, and when he saw what exactly made Katsuhiko stop like that, he dropped his light out of shock. He picked it up right away and waved it around, searching for more clues. When his light landed on a red handprint by the pool of blood on the asphalt, his heart sank. “He obviously struggled, but realistically, he couldn’t have survived, especially with all that blood loss,” he mumbled, and next to him, his cousin gasped._ I shouldn’t have said that out loud _, Yuuki cursed himself._

_Katsuhiko sank to his knees and sobbed._

That night would be burned into Yuuki’s memory for many years afterward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be careful Sakuma, they’re all on to you~
> 
> Finally! Sakuma finally met the D-Agency boys in 2016! I hope I was able to write them true to their characters. Tbh, I kinda used the Drama CDs as a reference as well as my own interpretation of their personalities. And I took some creative liberties with Odagiri lol. Also, I didn’t mean to make Jitsui this perverted so if that’s an issue, I’ll try to tone it down in future chapters. 
> 
> If at one point the dialogue was confusing I apologize. I think it’s clear where Miyoshi speaks, but for the others, it’s up to the reader who says what if I don't specify.
> 
> I wasn’t planning to spend so much time with just Unit D. I had plans for Sakuma to do other stuff but it’s better to just write that in the next chapter lol
> 
> *Sendai is a city in Japan, in the Miyagi Prefecture. I didn’t feel like making up a city/town this time around lol


	6. Through Time

Sakuma wandered through the bustling streets of Tomusawa, taking in all the unusual sights with a high level of apprehension. _Is this really my hometown? There are so many buildings and bright lights and so many people…_ He thought he had this town memorized, but in the span of 30 years, so much has changed and Sakuma wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel. 

There was one place in particular he was anxious to see, and luckily for him, it hadn’t changed so drastically that he wasn’t able to recognize it. But all the same, 30 years were 30 years, and the neighborhood where he and Katsuhiko had lived together had seen its fair share of growth and change as well. 

For starters, there was an Italian restaurant that Katsuhiko had absolutely adored, and they’d go there often on their date nights. In 1985 it had been brand new, but now, in 2016, it looked worn but comfortable, with a ‘ _30 year anniversary_ ’ banner flowing freely in the afternoon wind. He hurriedly left that street and made a beeline for the residential area. _Please, let it still be there…_

When Sakuma rounded the corner, he was met not with the row of houses he was familiar with, but with a new busy street with tall buildings on the other side. _What the hell…_ He sank down on a nearby bench and buried his face in his hands. 

_Katsuhiko…_ _How I wish I could be with you right now._ He took a shaky breath. _What should I do? Why the hell did this have to happen to me? What did I do to deserve this madness?_ His pain started acting up again, and he was suddenly reminded of something very important. _The tunnel! I went through that tunnel and landed in a different year. So if I go back, I can find some answers, preferably one that will take me back to when I belong…_

He started running back the way he came, not caring about the odd looks people were giving him. None of them mattered to him. Not now and not ever, because he was too full of renewed hope to care about the people of this time, anyway. _1986, here I come!_

It shouldn’t have surprised him, but Sakuma couldn’t help but be ashamed of himself regardless. He was certain he was taking the right streets to get back to the police station, but instead, he ended up at a completely different place that he realized too late was on the opposite side of town as Kameroto Tunnel. 

‘Paradiyo Mental Hospital,’ the sign outside read. _Wait… this place is… it’s the asylum!_ Back in Sakuma’s day, the building in front of him was better known as the Paradiyo Asylum, and this was a very important detail to him. Before he had even entered the tunnel, there were signs not far from the entrance, and one of those indicated that the tunnel was a quarter of a mile away from the hospital. _Well, I suppose this wasn’t too big of a screw up after all._

He glanced at the building curiously. Structure-wise, it was nearly identical to the asylum Sakuma remembered. He spaced out and stared at it for a while, and it wasn’t until a stranger approached him and waved his hands obnoxiously in his face that Sakuma snapped back to reality. 

“Is the hospital really that interesting to look at?” the stranger asked with a gently amused smile lighting up his face. The man was clearly foreign, but his Japanese was nearly flawless, and Sakuma was always impressed by people who could speak multiple languages, especially if they could do it at this level. 

Ah, right. He asked me a question. “Oh! No, not really. Just haven’t been here in a while, is all,” Sakuma chuckled nervously. Truth be told, he’s never set foot in this hospital in his life, but the stranger didn’t need to know that.

“I see! Going to visit a friend or family member, I take it? Well, I won’t keep you. Have a nice visit!” The man strolled past him and into a taxi, waving at Sakuma as the taxi drove off.

“Ok, that was weird.” Sakuma shook the moment off and turned towards a trail that he was sure would lead to that tunnel. But before he could get very far, he heard a high-pitched scream coming from the hospital. And given that he was a detective, Sakuma just had to turn around and check it out.

* * *

A phone lay in a pile of fallen leaves, its ringing resonating through the entire clearing it was in. 

“Natsuo Sakuma isn’t answering his phone,” Amari frowned. This was his 5th attempt at calling Sakuma, but all the calls went straight to voicemail.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had someone walk out on their first day like that,” Hatano snickered.

“Didn’t you run out screaming because Fukumoto had a bunch of knives in his hand and you thought he was gonna use them on you?” Kaminaga teased him, and he giggled when Hatano turned bright red and started sputtering indignantly. 

“Shut the fuck up! I didn’t know he was only using them for juggling!”

“Wah! Wah! Big tall guy with scary knives wah!”

“Kaminaga I swear to God-” 

“Guys please be quiet! I’m trying to read,” Jitsui spoke up. 

“Another horror novel?” Gamo asked curiously, nuzzling into his smaller boyfriend as he did so.

“Not even close. I’m actually looking at Sakuma’s files. They were scattered all over Yuuki’s desk so I took the liberty of taking them and making some copies for myself.”

From across the room, Miyoshi whipped his head around in Jitsui’s direction. “Found anything important?” he asked as nonchalantly as he could, but of course his fellow detectives saw right through him.

“Honestly… He’s a remarkable detective to say the least. He’s solved quite a few difficult cases almost single handedly, so it’s no wonder they promoted him like crazy through the ranks.”

“If he’s that good, wouldn’t the higher ups have treated him like Yuuki instead?” 

“You’d think so, right? I was confused, too, but remember, he’s from Sendai. Their police department is a lot different from ours, I’m sure.”

“Cops are cops, and the more powerful ones will always be greedy bastards,” Gamo remarked disdainfully. “There must be a better reason for why they ranked him so highly at his age… Sure, he’s got great accomplishments, but like Miyoshi said, if he’s so great they’d give him the Yuuki treatment. He’s either got great connections or there was a serious case of favoritism going on.”

“What if he blackmailed them for that promotion?” 

“Highly unlikely. And do watch what you say, Kaminaga, because if Odagiri hears you he’ll probably beat you up,” Jitsui scolded him mockingly.

“You’re lucky he and Fukumoto are both out for lunch,” Gamo yawned and moved to rest his head on Jitsui’s lap.

“Well… That aside, I’m surprised Sendai let him join us so easily. Surely they would have been against it and made his transfer impossible in the first place,” Tazaki joined in.

“Doesn’t his file say anything about that?” Amari asked. 

“Unfortunately not. It mentions the promotion details, like the date, but not the reason why. And that’s where his file stops, too. So who knows what happened in the three months between then and now…”

“Who knows, indeed,” a new voice chimed in. All the detectives in the office jumped.

“Yuuki-san! You’re back early…” Amari remarked. 

Yuuki rolled his eyes and turned to the whole group.“There’s been a death at Paradiyo Mental Hospital. About 10 minutes ago, in fact. I already ordered Fukumoto and Odagiri to go investigate, but I have a feeling this particular case will need more of you. Jitsui, Gamo, and… Miyoshi. I need you three to go help them, and be sure to have your body cams on so the rest of us can observe you.”

“You got it!”

“Yes, sir!” 

Miyoshi merely nodded and took his leave with the other two. He wasn’t sure why he had been added, since Jitsui and Gamo were already being sent to make complete teams of 2. (Jitsui and Fukumoto were partners this month, as were Gamo and Odagiri.) But Miyoshi would be the odd man out, and his potential partner (God forbid!) was M.I.A, which only irritated him more. But a case was a case, so he really had to other choice than to go along with it. Besides, if Yuuki wanted him there, it was for a good reason, and he’d never second-guess the judgement of the greatest detective in all of Japan.

* * *

Sakuma maneuvered around anguished nurses and confused patients as he hurried through the building and up the stairs, the emergency alarm blaring in his ears. 

“Go back to your rooms!”

“Everything’s fine! There’s no need to worry!” 

There was a group of patients crowding around a hallway, though there were staff in place to prevent them from entering. Sakuma approached them cautiously.

“Excuse me, sir. We can’t let you enter. We’re waiting for the police-”

“I am the police,” Sakuma grumbled, pulling out his detective badge. He was lucky to have not lost it in the tunnel. Even luckier was the fact that it worked, even though a closer look would have let the staff know it was a virtually useless badge, since it was from the late 80s. 

Sakuma walked through the corridor nervously. A doctor and nurse hurried out of a room and ran past him, and that’s the room he chose to investigate.

They had left the door open, and the sight that greeted him was disturbing to say the least. An older woman, who seemed to be in her late 60s, was slumped over in her wheelchair. There was a wooden pencil jammed in her neck, and blood continued to gush out of her, running down her neck as slow and steady as a stream. What startled Sakuma, however, was her face. Yes, she had aged, but she was still just as lovely as she had been the day he had arrested her...

* * *

“Miss Chizuru Tobisaki?” Sakuma looked across the interrogation room at a pretty woman with soft brown hair and warm brown eyes. 

“It’s a rather unusual name isn’t it? My father’s the one who picked it.”

Detective Bakugo opened up a file and flipped through it. “So, did you give a grape soda to Korudo Warabino on March 3, 1986?”

Chizuru smirked. “I can’t remember. That was 3 whole months ago.”

“He died 2 hours after you gave him that drink. How can you not remember the day your fiancé died? 

She giggled. “Do you remember every single woman you’ve ever slept with? Or what you ate for breakfast exactly 27 days ago? Or anything weirdly specific like that? Do you, Detective?”

“Watch the attitude, Tobisaki! Just answer the damn questions!” Bakugo snapped. 

Sakuma elbowed him sharply. “Come on, don’t yell at her like that.” He turned towards the woman. “Miss Chizuru,” Sakuma began hesitantly.

She rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”

“Hey now, let’s take it easy. I just wanted to share this chocolate with you, that’s all.” He reached into his bag and pulled out some small squares of chocolate, and placed them gently in front of her. “Hiroyuki told us this was your favorite brand.” She scoffed, but accepted the chocolates regardless. 

“You raised your little brother well,” Sakuma continued. “He’s such a cute kid. Great manners, too.” Chizuru glared at him, her eyes full of worry and apprehension. “You know, I understand why you did it. I mean, I shouldn’t be talking about a murder victim like this… But just between you and me, I think he deserved it.” Bakugo choked on the soda he’d been drinking, and Sakuma ignored him. “Warabino was such a terrible person. He beat you and Hiroyuki on a regular basis and had such a hold on you both that you felt like there was no one out there who could help you… Personally, I think he should have lived to be punished under the law like the criminal he is- well, technically, was.”

“Miss Chizuru,” Sakuma looked her dead in the eyes. “You never know where or how evidence will show up. If you’re given a longer sentence to serve out of sheer stubbornness, what’s going to happen to Hiroyuki? Were you not the only person in his life who could take care of him?” Sakuma felt low in bringing up her little brother like this, but he knew it was the best way. 

“Let’s look at it this way. If you really didn’t kill him, you can stand your ground, and your innocence will be proven soon enough. But if you did do it, you may as well admit to it right here and now. Listen, I sympathize with you, Miss Chizuru, I really do. Why else do you think I didn’t bring out the handcuffs in front of little Hiroyuki? Besides, you said you’d come clean once we got to the station.” 

Chizuru started tearing up, and Sakuma hastily handed her a tissue box. “It’s okay, Miss Chizuru. You can tell me. I’ll even kick my fellow detective out of the room if it’ll make you more comfortable.” 

“What? Like hell you are Sakuma! That’s not even your call to make!” 

Sakuma pulled him down and hissed in his ear, “Do you want her to confess or not? I’m actually making some progress here, so leave before you mess things up.”

Bakugo got up and stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut. 

“It’s ok, Miss. To be honest, I think your reasoning for doing it must have been justified. If you bring up Warabino’s abuse towards you and Hiroyuki, I’m sure the judge will take it into consideration and give you a lighter sentence. But we need you to be honest with us. Please, tell me the truth about what happened between you and your dead fiance.” 

She took a few shaky breaths and popped a chocolate into her mouth before speaking. “You see-”

“Sakuma, you’re being summoned!” Bakugo slammed the door open.

“Seriously? I’ll go later.”

“It’s the superintendent.”

“Tell him to wait!”

“He said he wants to see you now. Hurry up!”

Sakuma quickly glanced at Chizuru and turned to Bakugo. “Can you not see that-”

“I tried to tell him! But he’s impatient as hell today. Now go!”

“I’m sorry about him,” Sakuma apologized to Chizuru. “If you’ll excuse me, Miss. I’ll be back as soon as possible, don’t worry!” He took his time in leaving the interrogation room, if only to spite Superintendent Mutou. _Of all times, he really… And of all the detectives here, why does he want to see me?_

Sakuma made sure the meeting with Mutou was as brief as possible, for once not caring about formality or politeness. It was the same old spiel about not catching the Stocking Killer, as some at the station had dubbed him, and Sakuma was furious that Mutou had wasted his time with the same old repetitive shit. _I know we need to catch them! I know it better than anyone! Fuck Mutou, fuck his deadlines, and fuck Bakugo for interrupting!_

He hurried back to the interrogation room. “I’m so sorry about that, Miss Chizuru!”

She looked up from the chocolate she was eating and raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. Something in her demeanor changed and she smirked. “I didn’t kill him, Detective Sakuma.” Chizuru went back to eating the chocolates with a content smile on her face.

Sakuma closed his eyes and muttered a soft “fuck,” under his breath. He’d been so close to the truth, only for her to change her mind at the last moment…

* * *

Sakuma leaned into the corpse and studied her face. “I’m so sorry about that day, Miss Chizuru,” he whispered. The police had found irrefutable evidence of her guilt, yet she refused to admit to the deed. But even without her confession, Sakuma had gone to her trial and vouched for her, and he had succeeded in finding evidence of Warubino’s abuse, citing Hiroyuki as the main victim. Instead of sentencing her to prison, the judge had her sent to the asylum for a year, and in the meantime, Hiroyuki was placed in the care of Detective Ryosuke Shimano. Sakuma never did find out what had become of her when she was released, since she was not even halfway through her sentence when he’d disappeared. 

“I wonder what happened for her to be brought back here…” he mumbled. He shot her a brief pitiful glance and left.

Sakuma ran out of the building, but then slowed down when he realized he’d look suspicious. He tried to head into the trail he was originally planning to go on, but he ran into two people he wasn’t expecting to find out here.

“Hey Natsuo! There you are!” Odagiri smiled in relief. He had been worried about his best friend all day, but the others had convinced him to let him be. Odagiri was about to go looking for him regardless, but then Yuuki had sent him to the hospital to investigate a sudden death. All the same, he was glad Natsuo was safe, even if he did seem a little shaken. 

Sakuma blinked at Odagiri and Fukumoto in confusion. He didn’t say anything for a while and just stood there. After a few seconds, he thought “Fuck it” and tried to run past them. Unfortunately for him. Fukumoto was much faster with those long legs of his, and he hoisted Sakuma over his shoulder easily, as though he were a child. 

“What the- Hey! Put me down!” Sakuma wriggled around, and Odagiri smirked at the sight of this grown man struggling like a little kid.

“You sure seem like you’re in a hurry,” Fukumoto snapped. “You say you don’t remember your name, but you somehow remembered your profession. And you’re from Sendai, yet you know about this place.”

Sakuma went limp. He really had no idea how to respond to that. _I really dug myself into a hole with the amnesia act… Damn._

“We can worry about him later, Fukumoto. We have a death to look into. Just set Natsuo down. He’ll stay put, right?” Odagiri gave Sakuma a pointed look, and the latter gulped and nodded. Fukumoto rolled his eyes, but he guided Sakuma into the car they had arrived in and locked the doors. 

“Is that really necessary?” 

Fukumoto shrugged. “He’s a part of our team now. We can’t have him running away again. Plus, I don’t think Yuuki will be happy if he gets away a second time because of us.”

“But-”

“Like you said, we have an investigation to do. If it makes you feel better, I’ll cook all of Natsuo’s favorite dishes as an apology later tonight. How does that sound?”

“Fine,” Odagiri sighed in resignation. And together, they headed inside the Paradiyo Mental Hospital. 

* * *

Sakuma was burning with humiliation. He almost wanted to cry. _I can’t believe he basically manhandled me and locked me in his car! How dare he!_ He sat still until he was sure Fukumoto and Odagiri were well inside the building already, and he tried kicking the door open but failed. Miserably. He then tried fiddling with the locks on both back doors, but that didn’t work either. He even tried breaking the glass, but it had to have been made out of some military-grade material, because his best punches wouldn’t make so much as a dent. 

He reached over to the driver’s seat and messed around with the buttons. After all, this car was much different than anything he was used to, so he may as well have fun. And if he happened to break something… Well, it would be payback for locking him in here in the first place. 

Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to find the button that would roll down all the windows. He whooped excitedly as he reached over and tried to open the door. His smile faded as it refused to open. He tried again and again but it was futile. 

“What are you doing?” Sakuma looked up, and Miyoshi was smirking at him. Behind him, Gamo and Jitsui wore similar amused expressions. 

“I got locked in,” he admitted. No use lying to these guys. Besides, if he played up his honesty, they just might help…

“Idiot,” Miyoshi grumbled and walked off. Jitsui spared Sakuma a sympathetic glance and followed Miyoshi into the hospital.

Gamo, however, grinned wickedly and pulled out a bunch of keys. “And here I was worried that the copies I made of all our car keys wouldn’t come in handy someday!” He tried a few and eventually found the right one, and he opened the door for him like a chauffeur. 

Sakuma jumped out and hugged him. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank-”

“Woah! You’re welcome, new guy. Just remember, you owe me for this!” Sakuma rolled his eyes internally but nodded. “Cool. Now let’s go with the others and- Hey!”

Sakuma ran off again, and he was glad Gamo didn’t bother chasing him, unlike Fukumoto. He ran and ran through the forest, following the trail that would lead him to Kameroto Tunnel. 

Gamo, for his part, did not care where Sakuma was going. He was annoyed that he was going to be late because of this, but he waved it off. He could always track him down later. For now, he had a possible murder to investigate. _Fukumoto might kill me if he ever discovers my backup keys, though..._

* * *

“I’m here!” Sakuma was breathless as he arrived at the tunnel entrance. It was covered in vines, but there was no mistaking it. “I’m finally going home… Katsuhiko, please wait for me just a little bit longer. I’m finally going back!” He did a few stretches and tried to mentally prepare himself. And he ran. 

“Katsuhiko!” he called out as he rushed through the tunnel. “Katsuhiko!” He made it to the other side, but all he saw were tall buildings in the distance. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have expected that to work… but I was really hoping…” He hurried back inside and tried again. And again. And again. And again. The more he ran, the more lightheaded he felt, but he wouldn’t stop trying. He couldn’t stop trying even if it was pointless. 

* * *

Katsuhiko Maki stepped inside Kameroto Tunnel. “What am I even doing?” he wondered out loud. He jogged through the tunnel, not sure what he was looking for. Katsuhiko was a logical man. He knew there was no way he would find Takahide in there. But all the same, he felt a burning need to be here, like he might actually find something the police haven’t found already. _Call it what it is: insanity._

He was near the other side when something glinted in the sunlight, making him stop in his tracks. He knelt down and picked it up with shaky hands. “Takahide,” he breathed. 

_“A whistle?” Sakuma had smiled at him, full of love and warmth with just the slightest hint of amusement._

_“Blow on it when you’re in danger, and I’ll come rescue you.” It sounded ridiculous to his own ears, but Takahide had been so touched and had gone on and on about how much Katsuhiko meant to him… and they had made a promise, but it looks like it’ll be broken just like their first._

_Did he- did he try blowing on the whistle that night?_ Katsuhiko clenched a fist around the whistle and sobbed, not caring how his cries echoed through the tunnel where anyone in the area would be able to hear him. 

“Katsuhiko!” He froze. That sounded like… “Katsuhiko!” 

“I must be losing my mind,” he chuckled bitterly. “That sounded too much like him.”

“Katsuhiko!”

“There it is again,” he grumbled. He stood up and dusted himself off, clutching the whistle so hard his knuckles turned white. “I guess I should head back now or Yuuki-san will get worried.” He took slow, careful steps towards the light. 

“Katsuhiko!” 

“Oh for crying out loud!” Katsuhiko held the whistle close to his chest. “Takahide… How cruel of the universe to be messing with my heart and mind like this.”

“Katsuhiko! Katsuhiko!”

“Stop,” he whispered. “Please stop playing with me! I get it! He’s dead!” He hurriedly wiped the tears from his face, but they kept falling. “You’re dead, but I can still hear your voice…”

[ **Sakuma runs back and forth through the tunnel. Deep in his heart, he knows he can’t go back, not right now, at least. But he feels compelled to keep trying.]**

“Katsuhiko....”

Katsuhiko paused in his tracks. He’s never heard Takahide say his name in such an anguished tone before. _Now that I think about it, he’s never yelled out my name like he was searching for me or something, either... Ok, I’ve officially lost it. There’s just no way…_

[ **Sakuma runs, and from the perspective of the sick forces of the universe currently watching this play out, it really does look like he’s running towards Katsuhiko. However…** ]

The young man feels a strange wind blow, and shivers run down his spine. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it almost felt like… I _t was almost like he was right beside me, if only for a brief moment..._

Katsuhiko scoffed at the notion. He took a few more steps, but suddenly fell on his knees. “Taka… hide,” he murmured. He tried to get up. It just wasn’t like him to lose his perfectly calm composure. But there was only so much his poor heart could take, and ever since Takahide’s disappearance a few days ago, he’d slowly been spiraling into insanity. He collapsed onto the ground and cried once more, this time feeling like the fates have driven a knife deep into his heart.

* * *

 _It’s not working. I really can’t go back_ . Sakuma felt like such a naive fool. For a detective whose job called for cool, logical thinkers, he had done the hopeful thing, the _foolish_ thing and failed. He leaned against the wall and tried to suppress the choked sobs racking his whole body. _Why is this even happening to me? Where did I screw up that I ended up here?_ He punched the brick walls of the tunnel repeatedly, not caring how it was making his knuckles bleed. No physical pain could compare to the anguish of being unable to return to the man who owns his whole heart. 

“Katsuhiko… I swear, I’ll find a way to go back to you somehow. I don’t care what it takes. I will go back. I will! So please… I’m sorry, but please, wait for me a little longer, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like making Sakuma and Katsuhiko suffer for some reason ahaha
> 
> Also, I love Gamo and I love writing him! He’s such a fun character to me! In this au he’s like… a friendly Slytherin bro if that makes sense? But he’s also a clingy bf lol
> 
> And I’m having so much fun writing out the dynamics of Unit D, because so far they’ve just been fucking around while at most they’re suspecting the hell out Sakuma. But in the next chapter we’ll see them deal with a serious case and how their skills compare to Sakuma’s own hehe


	7. Criminology

Sakuma gazed across the parking lot, the Tomusawa Police Station in full view. _So, Natsuo Sakuma was born in 1992, if I remember correctly._ _I don’t know how or why I’m here, but just for the time being… Oh god this is so wrong. But for now, I’ll pretend I’m Natsuo Sakuma. Just until I find my way back…_

He took a deep breath. _Ok, I can do this…_

“Why are you here?” a voice snapped at him. Sakuma jumped, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Miyoshi walk past him and towards the station. 

“Damn, what’s his problem,” Sakuma grumbled to no one in particular, but some police officers overheard and snickered. He ignored them and followed Miyoshi inside.

* * *

Miyoshi burst through the doors of Unit D’s office, Sakuma at his heels. 

“There he is!” Amari cheered. Fukumoto looked up from where he held Gamo in a headlock, and when he noticed Sakuma, he released Gamo abruptly. 

“Motherfuck- I told you he’d be fine! God I hate this office…”

“It’s still your fault he got away,” Fukumoto deadpanned.

“‘Got away?’ What is he, a prisoner?” Odagiri glared at Fukumoto before running over to Sakuma. “I’m glad you made it back here safely. But where did you even go?”

Sakuma started sweating nervously. What was he supposed to say? ‘I tried running through a tunnel to get back to the past because I don’t belong here in this future?’ They’d send him to Paradiyo faster than he could blink. He was saved from answering by the sound of a cane hitting the floor.

Yuuki walked past all of them to his desk and sat down. “Miyoshi, Fukumoto, Gamo, Odagiri. Show us what you’ve gathered so far… Wait, where’s Jitsui?”

Said detective walked in right at that moment, and his expression darkened when he saw Gamo fidgeting uneasily next to Fukumoto. But one crooked smile from his boyfriend was enough to calm him, for now at least. No one commented on his tardiness or on his weird shifts in mood.

Tazaki got up to turn off the lights and Kaminaga walked over to set up the projector. Four of the five detectives who’d gone to the hospital took their places at the wall, and Jitsui went over to start the laptop so they could start their presentation for this meeting.

Miyoshi cleared his throat. “First things first-” 

“I’m the realest!” 

“Kaminaga.”

“Sorry…”

Sakuma’s lips twitched upward. Kaminaga’s little moment reminded him of Yuuki’s habit of taking people’s words and breaking into song. _Like the day he set me up for that blind date with Katsuhiko…_ He felt the tears gathering in his eyes at the bittersweet memory but blinked them away before anyone could notice. 

“As I was saying,” Miyoshi drawled, “Alright. So, today’s victim, Chizuru Tobisaki was one of Japan’s most notorious serial killers of the modern age. She was first arrested in 1986 for the murder of her then fiance, Korudu Warabino, but was sentenced to only a year at the Paradiyo Mental Hospital.”

“Though back then it was known as the Paradiyo Asylum,” Gamo chimed in.

“Right… She served her sentence and a few years later, she was arrested again in 2000 for killing 5 men.”

Sakuma sat up a little straighter. _Besides Warabino, she killed 5 other men?_

“She served 15 years in Makutawei Detention Center before she was admitted to Paradiyo Mental Hospital,” Miyoshi continued. “Her relatives have all passed away and she had no friends that would come to visit her.” 

Fukumoto stepped forward and signaled to Jitsui. The screen behind him lit up and showed pictures of the dead Chizuru Tobisaki at different angles. “The cause of death is excessive bleeding. We’ll need an autopsy done to find out more details, but that’s what we think right now.”

“Any fingerprints?” Hatano asked. 

“Three different fingerprints were found on the pencil lodged in her neck. We already sent it all to the crime lab,” Fukumoto replied coolly.

“Any hostile relationships?” Sakuma jumped in. Everyone, Yuuki especially, looked surprised to hear him speak. “She was stabbed in the neck. I don’t know about the rest of you, but judging by those pictures, I’d say the killer must have held deep emotional resentment towards the victim.” _They should investigate the families of all the men she killed_ , Sakuma wanted to say, but he was beaten to it by his least favorite detective so far. 

Miyoshi took the center once again, and he clicked a remote in his hands to change the screen. “Here’s a list of the families of Tobisaki’s victims.” Sakuma nodded. _I admit, he’s really good, to have put a list together so quickly._ In his time, he was sure it would have taken a few days at least.

“I heard she met with someone just before she died,” Gamo spoke up. 

“She rarely, if ever, had visitors, so people thought it was strange,” Odagiri added. “But the hospital’s visitors’ record was poorly kept. The security cameras aren’t working either.”

“One of the cameras in the parking lot was working, actually,” Gamo remarked. “But no man was spotted during the hours leading up to Tobisaka’s estimated time of death.”

Sakuma jolted in his seat. “Hold on. Chizuru Tobisaki met up with a man?” He thought back to earlier that day. 

_“Is the hospital really that interesting to look at?”_

_Oh shit._ Sakuma’s eyes widened in realization. “Her visitor.. It had to have been that foreigner who spoke to me outside the hospital… I watched him get into a taxi and leave...”

The other detectives glanced at each other and sprang into action. 

“Fukumoto, Odagiri, Jitsui, Gamo, and Tazaki. Meet with Tobisaki’s victims’ families and check their alibis.” Said detectives all nodded and left the room. “The rest of you, track down that taxi and obtain a DNA sample for comparison.” Yuuki turned to Sakuma. “That includes you, too, Senior Detective Natsuo Sakuma. I do hope you don’t run away this time.” Yuuki’s tone was light, but Sakuma shuddered all the same. _This chief is something else… he’s like a scarier version of Yuuki-senpai!_ Sakuma knew everyone else’s names except for Unit D’s leader, and at this point he was too afraid to ask. (He was sure someone had mentioned it before, but he hadn’t been paying attention because of his injury.)

He followed the remaining detectives outside, opting to stay as far away from Miyoshi as possible. 

“So, Sakuma,” Hatano walked alongside him. “You seemed pretty sharp back there. Really into the case and everything. But you still want us to believe you have amnesia?”

“Well, I never actually said-”

“I thought we agreed it was partial,” Amari interrupted. “Besides, Odagiri vouched for him, and I trust his judgement.”

“But Odagiri is biased as hell,” Kaminaga looked Sakuma up and down. “If it’s true, he’s sure managed to retain some convenient information, that’s for sure.”

 _Fuck they’re on to me!_ Sakuma wanted to cry. _Why the hell did I try the amnesia route in the first place?_ But then again, he never planned on taking on the identity of Natsuo Sakuma. It was just a lucky coincidence that they looked practically identical, but Sakuma was left to deal with all this lying and suspicion.

“I’m still trusting Odagiri on this one,” Amari sighed. “Let’s just leave the amnesia issue aside. Can’t you guys see we’re making him comfortable?”

“Probably uncomfortable because he knows he’s lying,” Miyoshi murmured. He glared at Sakuma from under his thick eyelashes, and Sakuma wanted nothing more than to run away. But the chief had been clear on that particular issue, so he stepped closer to Amari for some semblance of safety. 

The group stopped at a shiny black Range Rover, and Amari immediately took the wheel, while Kaminaga called shotgun. This left Miyoshi, Hatano, and Sakuma to figure out how they’d fit in the back seats. 

“Well, I refuse to sit next to him,” Miyoshi spat, and he took the seat directly behind Amari. Hatano shrugged and sat in the middle, while Sakuma cautiously climbed on and sat behind Kaminaga. The group fell silent as Amari drove them out of the station’s parking lot. 

“So, Sakuma, do you remember the name of the taxi company?” Hatano asked him with a gentle smile on his face. It was too close to Detective Shimano’s smile for comfort. 

“Uh… not really. Well, I remember yellow and green stripes?”

“Must be _Seiremu_ ,” Hatano muttered. 

“Seriously? Are you suddenly unable to read or something? How can you remember colors but not letters or names?” Kaminaga chuckled, but his tone was light, not mocking.

Sakuma closed his eyes and leaned against the window. _Please let me go back soon. I think I’ll go crazy if I have to be around them for too long!_

* * *

Yuuki took a deep breath and willed himself to hit the ‘dial’ button already. The last phone call he’d made to this number had been easy enough, but this was a different and far more serious issue. “Hey, it’s me again… Yes, I know you’re a busy man but just hear me out… I’m calling about something that happened back when we were in the same division. Tell me, what do you remember about the missing detective Takahide Sakuma?”

* * *

A taxi driver shuffled his feet nervously. “Oh, that man? I dropped him off at Dakarusibo University.” He shyly glanced at Sakuma. “Hey, you’re kinda cute…”

“Uh…” Sakuma replied intelligently. Kaminaga and Hatano snickered behind their hands while Miyoshi facepalmed. Amari thanked the man for his help and ushered the others back into the car. 

“You’re kinda cute? You’re kinda cute?” Kaminaga threw his head back and cackled.

“Looks like someone has a crush on you, Sakuma,” Hatano teased.

“Come on, you two,” Amari scolded them gently, but even he couldn't help but laugh.

Miyoshi pulled out his phone and started dialing. _Oh?_ Sakuma glanced at him curiously. 

“Hey Yuuki-san. We’ve got a lead. So the man Sakuma spotted is at Dakarusibo University. We’re heading over right now… Yes, he’s still here. Unfortunately. Hey! Why the hell are you being so lenient on him anyway- Oh. He hung up...” 

“Must be because you’re being such a dick to the new guy,” Hatano pointed out.

“Am not!” 

“Oh yeah? Let’s ask him. Hey, Sakuma-”

“No comment!” Sakuma blurted out. He was a little curious as to why Miyoshi was so hostile towards him, but he could think of no other reason besides the handcuff incident. But he was a tad more curious about the device in Miyoshi’s hands. It looked like a sleek black box with a rose gold covering. _What is it? A phone? A radio? Whatever it is, it’s rather small..._

“Damn, okay,” Kaminaga smirked. “Jeez, Miyoshi. I think he’s too scared of you to admit you’re being a jerk.”

“Actually, I’d like to make a comment now. He’s mean but I think I deserve it for what I did last night.”

“You mean the handcuffs? But that was hilarious!”

“To _you_!” Miyoshi snapped. 

“Odagiri’s slideshow had me dying! Would you like to see it, Sakuma?”

“Sure?” Just then, his stomach grumbled. _Loudly_ , like a whale’s mating call in the middle of an exam, and Sakuma blushed furiously,

“Whew! When was the last time you ate?”

“I don’t know… I think it was… yesterday? I felt light-headed all day but assumed it was because I was running around a lot.”

Miyoshi raised an eyebrow at this. “And why exactly were you running, Sakuma-san?”

“Maybe he likes the exercise!” Hatano snapped defensively. 

Kaminaga peered at Hatano curiously through the rear view mirror. “Woah there! Why so protective all of a sudden?” 

“Well… It’s just that, um, well… Sue me for being worried about our new member’s health!”

“Is it because he’s ‘kinda cute?’”

“Kaminaga, would you like to see Jesus today?” Hatano cracked his knuckles, which made Kaminaga flinch and start begging for mercy. 

Amari remained silent during this whole exchange, and he only spoke after rolling down his window. “I’ll take a number 5 combo, medium, no tomatoes, with a Sprite… Hold on a minute, please.” He turned around and looked directly at Sakuma. “You need to eat. I know fast food is far from ideal, but it’ll curb your hunger for now. So, what do you want? It’s on me.” 

Sakuma was inclined to say no. For starters, Katsuhiko would pitch a fit if he saw the fast-food restaurant Sakuma was at. Back in their day, the restaurant was still in construction, but Katsuhiko swore they’d never eat there since it was American and the Americans were notorious for their excessively unhealthy eating. They may have had their fair share of guilty-pleasure foods, but none so devastating as the grease-dripping hamburgers and fries and whatnot. Sakuma was not as picky about this, but he was still apprehensive since he preferred Japanese food (and had acquired a fondness for Italian thanks to his boyfriend.) 

He glanced at the menu, which unfortunately was behind Katsuhiko, so it was an awkward moment where he deliberately avoided looking at the detective. He took in all the different choices with a cool, expressionless face, though his eyes were lit up in awe at all the variety that never existed in his time. 

“I’ll just have a salad and bottled water.”

“Dude, seriously?” 

“Hey Miyo, he’s a health nut just like you!”

Hatano and Kaminaga rolled their eyes at Sakuma’s choice in food. Miyoshi didn’t say anything, but he lightly nodded in begrudging approval. He hated this restaurant with a passion, but he was a sucker for their shakes and would usually get one of those with a salad whenever Unit D insisted on coming here.

“Sakuma are you sure? I wouldn’t mind if you wanted more…” When he saw Sakuma shake his head, Amari shrugged and went back to ordering. “And I’ll take a grilled chicken salad with a bottle of water. And also-” Amari ordered for the other members as well, reciting their orders perfectly since he was so used to it by now. 

Once they had all the food, Amari drove them to a nearby park so they could sit down to eat. Sakuma ate slowly and carefully, and he made sure to thank Amari for the meal. 

“It’s no problem at all! And don’t even think of paying me back, okay? Consider it a small welcome treat!” And he beamed at Sakuma so brightly it made the latter’s chest hurt. _Ichiro used to smile at me like that, too…_ Why, oh why, did he have to end up surrounded by people that looked so familiar yet so different? _Now all I need is someone who looks exactly like Senpai_ , Sakuma thought bitterly as he ate his mediocre salad. Around him, the detectives (sans Miyoshi, who poked at his salad in slight disgust) ate their burgers happily, and the corner of his mouth went up just a little. Being stuck in the future was still terrible, but this moment definitely helped lessen the absurdity of it all.

* * *

After their late dinner, the detectives were back on track and arrived at Dakarusibo University in less than half an hour. The group went to the administration building and asked for the class schedules of all the foreign male students, which wasn’t too many considering the school’s lesser fame in comparison to schools like Tokyo or Kosei. And not all of them were on campus since it was already late, though there were plenty of evening classes in session. They split into two smaller teams, consisting of Kaminaga, Miyoshi, and Sakuma in the first, with Hatano and Amari in the second.

The second team went off towards the humanities building, where many of the foreign students were right now, according to the class schedules they’d obtained. They paced up and down the corridors for a while until suddenly, Hatano came to a stop in front of one of the lecture rooms on the sociology floor. 

The short detective peered in through the window on the door, and sure enough, there were two foreign male students seated towards the back. He looked around a bit more, and his breath caught when he saw the professor at the front of the room. 

A tall man with light brown hair and eyes and a friendly, foreign face wrote a few things on the board before turning around to face the class. “The French criminologist Dr. Edmond Locard is widely renowned as a pioneer of forensic science. He established the Exchange Principle, which became the basis for all forensic work. Now, who can tell me what the Exchange Principle says?” He smiled expectantly towards the class, but every single student looked lost and confused. He sighed. “Well, I should’ve guessed… Anyway, Locard said, ‘every contact leaves a trace.’ So what this means is that-” He glanced at Hatano and tilted his head curiously before continuing his lecture.

“Testing, testing!” Hatano and Amari jumped at the sound of Sakuma’s voice coming out of the speakers. 

Sakuma held the microphone stiffly in his hand. Behind him, Kaminaga was biting back his giggles while Miyoshi buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. “I’m looking for the foreigner who spoke to me outside of Paradiyo Mental Hospital. I just wanted to… um… Well, you seem nice enough so I thought I’d… Um, anyway. If you could just meet me in the- what’s this room called again?”

“T-the recording- I mean, the broadcasting booth, sir.”

“Ah, thank you. If you could meet me in the broadcasting booth that’d be great! Thanks!” Sakuma put the mic down, and Kaminaga picked it up immediately.

“THIS ONE IS FOR THE BOYS WITH THE BOOMIN’ SYSTEM TOP DOWN AC WITH THE COOLIN’ SYSTEM- HEY!” Miyoshi yanked the microphone out of Kaminaga’s hands and hurriedly turned it off so that nothing else would be broadcast throughout the building. 

“I am… _disgusted_. I am seriously blown away at the sheer magnitude of the stupidity you two idiots possess. You’re both already a headache on your own but together? I can’t deal with this sober. I need a bottle of wine…”

Meanwhile, Amari and Hatano clutched their stomachs as they leaned against each other, trying not to collapse from laughter.

“Sakuma- He really-” 

“First the handcuffs, now this?”

“Miyoshi must be having an aneurysm right now?”

“Why did Kaminaga start rapping? He’s terrible!” Hatano wheezed. 

Amari wiped a few tears from his eyes and quickly composed himself. “Oh shoot! The lecture’s over. Let’s talk to those two students at the back before we lose them!” 

They rushed inside the room to talk to the men, and the professor ignored them as he slowly gathered his belongings. 

Amari and Hatano determined that either one of the two students turned out to not be the one Sakuma had spoken with and thanked them for their cooperation. 

“You know,” Hatano whispered in Amari’s ear, “the professor is foreign as well. Do you think-”

“Wouldn’t hurt to check,” Amari whispered back. 

They nonchalantly approached the professor, who merely smiled at them expectantantly, like he had with his students earlier. 

“So what can I do for you two gentlemen?”

“There you are!” a new excited voice joined in. 

“Sakuma!” Hatano and Amari exclaimed in surprise. 

Sakuma approached them happily, with a cheerful Kaminaga and exasperated Miyoshi following right after him. He smiled as he got closer to the professor. “Yup! This is the guy I saw at the hospital,” he remarked proudly. 

“Ah, the odd one staring at the building! Right, how did your visit go?”

“Oh, well-”

“Excuse the interruption,” Miyoshi cut in, “But Professor Alain Lernier? We’d like to have a few words with you.” 

“Oh?”

“Earlier this morning, our, um, colleague, spoke with you outside of the Paradiyo Mental Hospital. The visitation records indicate that you were the last person to visit Chizuru Tobisaki before she died.”

“She’s dead?” 

“I’m afraid so,” Kaminaga replied softly.

“Professor, what was the reason for your visit?”

“Yes, why did you meet with her, of all people?”

“I’m a criminologist,” the professor answered smoothly. “And she was a lesser known killer I was curious to learn more about.” He turned to Hatano and looked him in the eyes. “Did you need a recording of the interview I conducted with her?”

Hatano felt his cheeks heating up at the eye contact and he didn’t like what his body was trying to tell him. Kaminaga would’ve teased him if the situation wasn’t so serious. 

“We’ll need to confirm everything you just told us,” Miyoshi stated plainly. “Kaminaga, come with me. Sakuma... stay here with Amari and Hatano.” Miyoshi hurried out of the room and Kaminaga had to jog a little to not get left behind.

* * *

“I did help him arrange the interview,” the old man before Miyoshi and Kaminaga spoke. He gracefully stood from his desk, his plaque catching in the light as he did so. ‘Head of Sociology Department: Kentaro Sakurai, PhD,’ it read. Dr. Sakurai smiled at the two detectives calmly as he moved to the couch across the one they were sitting on. “A few years ago, I brought Professor Lernier from France to teach here at Dakarusibo. He agreed, but on the condition that I’d help him with his interviews. When he was still in his home country, he interviewed countless prisoners, especially women. He published a dissertation on all his findings and let me tell you, it was quite the groundbreaking work!” Dr. Sakurai beamed with pride as he went on and on about Lernier. “He’s a criminal psychologist. I’m sure his visit to the late Chizuru Tobisaki was strictly for research purposes.”

“Did you get permission from the police and prison authorities?” Kaminaga asked.

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t have to since she’d already completed her sentence. I did check with Mr. Shimano from the National Police Agency, though. Just to be safe.”

“I see.”

Miyoshi shifted in his seat and side-eyed Dr. Sakurai cautiously. “Doctor, you’re a criminal psychologist as well. I’ve seen your interviews on T.V. before, too. So, as a psychologist, how would you describe Dr. Lernier as a person?” 

Dr. Sakurai frowned. “How do you mean- Wait, just what are you implying, Detective?”

“Well, it’s only circumstantial for now, but I’m afraid Professor Lernier is our main suspect. Don’t worry, we won’t arrest him since we have no real evidence, but at this moment, we have other detectives questioning him. If need be, we’ll take him back with us to our office for further interrogation.”

* * *

Alain Lernier leaned against the window as he watched the group of detectives leave, his gaze lingering on the shortest one in the group a little more than he would have expected. 

Their interrogation had been easy enough to get through, but he was sure they’d be back tomorrow morning. And truthfully, he was looking forward to it, if only because the man from the hospital had an interesting aura about him, from a psychological point of view of course. What’s more, he was eager to talk more with the shortest detective, and he had the self-awareness to realize his interest in the man, whose name was Hatano, had little to do with criminals or research. 

“Professor Lernier, let’s have a chat.” He turned around and locked eyes with his mentor, Dr. Sakurai, whose eyes were twinkling with curiosity and amusement. Alain glanced out the window once more, but the detectives had already left the parking lot. He turned back to his mentor and nodded, and they walked out of the lecture hall together.

* * *

Yuuki glanced at his phone. ‘8:29 PM.’ It had taken him a little over two hours to drive to the Sendai Police Station, and he already wanted to turn around and drive back home. But he had someone important to speak to, though he still found that man to be repulsive even after so many years apart. 

“Yuuki you bastard! It sure has been a while!” Chief Detective Bakugo smiled wryly at him as he approached. 

“Bakugo! Still an insufferable asshole, I see,” Yuuki shot back. He limped over to the chief detective and they awkwardly shook hands. 

“You really came such a long way to see little old me, huh?”

“This was too important to discuss over the phone.”

“Right… so there’s a restaurant/bar nearby. It’s very quiet and we can get a private booth so no one will hear us. How about it? I’ll even pay if your broke ass can’t afford it.”

Yuuki prayed to nonexistent gods for infinite patience, because that’s how much he’d need to get through tonight. “Sure, Chief Detective. Let’s go to this bar of yours.”

And so they went, and Bakugo did pay, though he grumbled over the way Yuuki ordered the most expensive food items he could. 

“So,” Yuuki began as he set his now empty plates aside, “let’s get right to the point. Do you remember the year 1986?”

“Wow, that far back, huh? Of course I remember! I wouldn’t have let you come all this way if I didn’t.” Yuuki scoffed at that but motioned for Bakugo to continue. “That year, Unit 1 was dissolved and I transferred out as soon as the offer from Sendai came in. And I remember you chose to stay…”

“Yes. It was difficult but Honma and I eventually returned to the field after a few months of futile searching. He worked well until his retirement a couple years ago.”

“And here you are before me as a Detective Inspector. The best detective Tomusawa has ever seen, leading the best and brightest in the whole station. Or so I’ve been told. And as always, the higher-ups can’t stand you so they block any promotions you’re more than qualified for, right?”

Yuuki rolled his eyes and nodded in resignation. “Our different careers are not what I came to discuss, Chief Detective.”

“Oh, right. The whole reason your unit was dissolved was because Sakuma died while chasing that one serial killer… To think that jerkface was right all along, and he was even the closest to catching him compared to anyone else…”

“That serial killer is still the bane of my entire career as a detective,” Yuuki admitted. “But far worse was losing the man I loved like a little brother… and we never even found his body…” Yuuki cleared his throat awkwardly and braced himself for the mocking that was sure to follow. “So, earlier this morning I had you send the files for Natsuo Sakuma to my office-”

“You’re welcome. But why did you need them when the hard copies would’ve arrived the day after regardless?”

“I needed to check something for myself as soon as I could. It’s just that, when I found him in my office this morning- now please don’t laugh- but he looked _exactly_ like Takahide. The height, the build, the eyebrows, and even the clothes were like something he would wear.”

Bakugo choked on his cup of sake and spat all over the table. “Don’t be stupid! Of course they’ll look alike, they’re related! That’s one of the reasons I recommended him to you in the first place. Natsuo is a prodigy, and it pains me to admit it, but so was Takahide Sakuma. Those damn Sakuma genes are something else, I’ll tell ya that! ”

“Right… How do you explain the clothes?"

"Maybe he's just into vintage fashion?" 

"Did he dress like he belonged in the 80s when you were around?"

"Well… no… But come on! You must be losing your mind in your old age…"

"May I remind you I'm only 2 years older than you-"

"Whatever. Are you saying that instead of Natsuo Sakuma, Takahide Sakuma is the one who showed up at your office?" 

"Ok, it sounds really stupid when you say it like _that_..."

“Yuuki, please. It’s a family resemblance, nothing less and nothing more. Come on, I expected better out of you.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Yuuki chuckled as he pretended to drink another glass of cheap sake. Talking to Bakugo had been as productive as he’d expected, which was to say, not at all. It made Yuuki sound crazy, but luckily, he was able to blame it on the alcohol and not on his own grief that had resurfaced ever since he spotted Natsuo Sakuma that morning.

When he got home later that night, he brought out a bottle of wine one of the detectives had gotten him as a gift one Christmas, and he downed it like a dying man in a desert would down water. _Haven’t had a pathetic night like this in the longest_ , he mused, and for the first time in a while, he let himself drown in a whirlpool of grief and longing and regret.

* * *

Sakuma lay down on a couch in Unit D’s office, the same one he had found when he stumbled into the place the night before. He had taken a nap and the other detectives had let him be, though he was sure they must have thought him lazy for it. _Well, it’s not like I’ll be here long enough for their opinion to matter._ He looked up at the ceiling. _There must be some way back! Damn it all! This is all that killer’s fault, I just know it!_

“Why so grumpy?” a calming voice interrupted his angry thoughts. 

Sakuma lazily turned to the speaker. “Tazaki, right?” The other man smiled and nodded. “Hey, do you happen to know where I can find information on an old case that took place here?”

“That depends. How far back are we talking?”

“1986.”

Tazaki raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite specific, Senior Detective. How do you-”

“Let’s not go there.” Sakuma turned away and whispered, “Please.”

Tazaki felt uncomfortably sorry for the new detective, and he decided to keep this exchange to himself for the time being. “I’ll have to double check, but I don’t think our records don’t go back that far. But, if it’s 1986… ask Yuuki-san! He’ll know something, I’m sure.”

Sakuma jolted up. “Yuuki-san?” _It couldn’t be..._

“Yes, our boss... Wait. Did you really not know his name this whole time?” 

“I heard it earlier but I had completely forgotten,” Sakuma lied. He was glad to finally know the leader’s name, but he was also embarrassed since Tazaki looked at him with such _pity_.

“And let me guess… you were too afraid to ask one of us because you thought we’d laugh at you, right?”

 _Well, not exactly. But close enough._ Sakuma nodded anyway. 

“Excuse me! Is Natsuo Sakuma here?” an elderly woman called out from just outside the office. “I was told I could find him here. This is Unit D’s office, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tazaki approached her with an easygoing smile plastered on his face. Sakuma tried to leave but Tazaki easily grabbed his sleeve and yanked him back. “This is the guy you’re looking for, ma’am.”

_I’m screwed, I’m so screwed._

The woman looked Sakuma up and down and sighed in relief. “Why is it so hard to get a hold of you!” She smacked his arm. “Your stuff came but you never checked in. I was worried something might’ve happened to you! Be more considerate of my weak old heart! Kids these days…” She smiled up at him. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Go? Go where?”

“Home, of course! Where else”

“Huh?” _I have never met this woman in my life! Help me!_ He tried to convey this to Tazaki with his eyes, but the other man merely wished him a good night and waved cheerfully. 

The woman grabbed his arm and led them out, and because Sakuma had been raised to always respect his elders, he decided he may as well go along with it.

* * *

The woman dropped him off at a duplex in a nice neighborhood not far from the police station. She took him to his side and gave him a key, and she must have said some other things but Sakuma was too overwhelmed to do anything beyond nodding politely at everything she told him. She was nice enough, but he was still relieved when she finally left. 

He turned on the lights and looked around. His breath caught when he saw all the boxes scattered around the living room, all belonging to a man whose identity he’d stolen inadvertently.

“How nice!” He scoffed. “I have my own place now! This is great… This is fucking great.” He sank to his knees. “I don’t care for any of this bullshit! Please let me go home already!” 

The events of today finally caught up to him, and he bitterly cried himself to sleep.

* * *

“Takahide! Takahide wake up!” Sakuma’s eyes shot open, and all he could see was Katsuhiko biting his impossibly red lips out of concern. 

“Katsuhiko,” he jumped up and pulled his boyfriend into a hug. 

“What’s gotten into you?” the younger man giggled as he hugged back.

“Katsuhiko… It’s really you…” Sakuma caressed his face softly with one hand while using the other to stroke Katsuhiko’s hair. He looked around and was relieved to see that he was in their bedroom and not Natsuo Sakuma’s place. 

“You okay? Did you have a bad dream or something?” 

_Was all that 2016 stuff really just a dream?_ “I- I’m not sure. But it doesn’t matter, because I’m finally back!” He pulled Katsuhiko into a fierce hug. “I was scared I’d never get to see you again,” he whispered hoarsely into his lover’s ear. Sakuma let himself bask in Katsuhiko’s touch before pulling back reluctantly. 

“Ok, I know this is going to sound crazy, if not insanely stupid, but I actually traveled to the year 2016. I met some detectives that looked like people we know now and-”

“Wait, 2016?” Katsuhiko put his hand over his mouth and laughed. “Babe, did you hit your head or something?”

“Well, kinda? Whatever, it was just a stupid dream…” 

Katsuhiko looked like he wanted to say something, but just then, the doorbell rang. “Oh! That must be Akira-san.” 

“Yuuki-senpai!” Sakuma stood up and ran over to answer the door, but his face fell when he saw who it was. 

“Miyoshi? What the hell are you doing here?” Detective Miyoshi was suddenly surrounded by the other Unit D detectives, and they all looked at Sakuma in expectation.

Sakuma slammed the door in their face and ran back towards his bedroom. “Katsuhiko! Katsuhiko!”

* * *

“Katsuhiko!” Sakuma screamed himself awake. He frantically looked around and thanks to the light pouring in from the window, he could see he was surrounded by cardboard boxes. 

_Wow. That was unbelievably messed up._ He should’ve known that dream was too good to be true, but he had allowed himself to believe in it anyway, and now here he was, wallowing in despair. His eyes were far too tired to cry anymore, and overall he was too tired to get angry at his situation. 

_I just have to make the best of it. I’ll miss Katsuhiko and it’ll hurt like hell to be so apart from him, but I just have to work harder to go back._ Just like going home to Katsuhiko had kept him going on days where being at the station made him absolutely miserable, it would also motivate him to face 2016 head on and try to navigate it the best he could. 

He got up and dragged himself over to the bedroom, where conveniently enough, there was a bare bed waiting for him. He climbed on and allowed himself to sleep, truly sleep, knowing that after such a long and exhausting day, he could use all the rest he could get.

* * *

Sakuma felt really strange wearing another person’s clothes like this, but he really had no other choice. The outfit he had when he stumbled into this year had been fine back in his day, but he could tell everyone around him thought his clothes were weird. Surprisingly, a good amount of Natsuo’s clothes fit him well, though he also owned a lot of smaller items as well. Thinking back to Odagiri’s comment about working out, Sakuma realized Natsuo had a slimmer build than himself, but they were at the same height at least. What must have been oversized for Natsuo fit Sakuma perfectly, and he could only hope there was enough clothing to carry him through his stay here. 

He was extremely lucky that the duplex was within walking distance from the station, so he didn’t have to worry about the fact that he didn’t have a car or even money for public transport. As it was, he still got lost because the streets had changed so much, and he showed up to work 30 minutes later than he should have.

“Sakuma-san! How nice of you to join us!” Miyoshi called out mockingly.

“Miyoshi!” Odagiri, Amari, and Hatano scolded him at the same time. Kaminaga and Gamo snickered.

“Whatever… What were you saying, Yuuki-san?” 

Yuuki grumbled something that no one caught, not that he expected anyone to. “As I just mentioned, I have an announcement. We’re having a new person come in today, though he won’t be a full-fledged member of the team. He’ll just be helping us out from time to time on certain cases where I think we’ll need it.” 

This caused varying reactions from each detective, namely shock and anger. Many of them were annoyed at the prospect of needing someone to help them solve cases. After all, they were supposed to be the best of the best, each member with the same general skills as well as their own specialties. What did this ‘occasional help’ have that they did not?

Sakuma, for his part, just watched them curiously. He caught bits and pieces from what they yelled out, and truth be told, they reminded him of Yuuki-senpai in a more obnoxious way. _Senpai knew he was amazing and didn’t think highly of our fellow detectives, but even he wasn’t this arrogant_. He chuckled a little at the thought, and was glad the detectives were too caught up in themselves to notice. 

Yuuki tapped his cane. “Are you detectives or children? I expect you all to be courteous to our new honorary member, at least for today. I believe his skills will be of great use to us with the ongoing rise of serial killers in the prefecture, and I will not be going back on the decision to add him. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir!” Sakuma threw in a military salute just because, which made some of the others laugh at how ridiculous he looked saluting in a loose green windbreaker with black skinny jeans. He dropped the salute and grinned at Yuuki. "So when is he coming in sen- I mean, boss?" 

Sakuma tried not to smirk as he noticed how the old man's eyes had widened just a tad when Sakuma had almost said 'senpai.' He had no way of knowing for sure if this Yuuki was the same as his, but logically, it would make sense going by age alone. Even if this was his Yuuki, he couldn't exactly tell him the truth. He was far too intelligent to believe it; no matter how open minded he may have been back in the day, time travel would’ve been impossible for him to believe. Sakuma had no way of knowing how cruel this was to Yuuki, of course. His intention was to drop hints to Yuuki that something about himself was off, and he could only hope the other detectives wouldn’t catch on, or else he’d be royally screwed. 

Yuuki was able to recover quickly enough to fool the other 9 that nothing was wrong. “He’ll be here later this afternoon,” he answered Sakuma evenly. “I just wanted to let you all know in advance so you’d all be here to welcome him. And with that out of the way, let’s get down to business.”

“To defeat the Huns!” Kaminaga sang in perfect pitch.

“Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?” Gamo joined in.

“You’re a spineless pale pathetic lot, and you haven’t got a clue,” Yuuki deadpanned. Sakuma didn’t understand the song they were referencing, but he made a mental note to ask about it later since he liked the little bit he heard so far. Not to mention, this was a tiny hint towards this Yuuki being the one he knew. 

“Odagiri and Gamo, take the Senior Detective with you to Dakarusibo’s medical school to check in with our forensics crew. Miyoshi, Tazaki, and Hatano, you three will also be going to the university to check the interview that Professor Lernier conducted with Tobisaki. As for the rest of you, I have another case I need you to solve for the police.” 

The mentioned detectives left the building together, deciding to take the same car since they were all going to the same place anyway. They all climbed into one of Unit D’s Range Rovers, and this time Tazaki was behind the wheel while Gamo immediately claimed the passenger seat. Miyoshi and Hatano sat together in the middle row while Odagiri and Sakuma took the back row. The car ride today was nowhere near as loud as it had been yesterday, Sakuma noted with slight disappointment, but he was also relieved since it meant his amnesia wouldn’t come into question for the time being. He wondered if it was because Kaminaga (the funniest detective in Sakuma’s opinion) wasn’t there, since he was a mood maker of sorts. Though Hatano and Gamo were their own brand of mischief, they were both pretty quiet right now, and Sakuma didn’t know them well enough to wonder or care.

They parked in the school’s main parking lot and agreed to meet up again in 2 hours, 3 hours tops. Tazaki and Hatano followed Miyoshi to the faculty building, and they giggled at the sight of Sakuma holding on to Odagiri like a lost little puppy as Gamo led them towards the medical school as though he were a line leader in kindergarten. _Are these detectives or children?_ Miyoshi thought to himself in a pale imitation of Yuuki’s earlier comment, shaking his head in amusement at his fellow detectives. 

* * *

“It’s simple. The victim is right-handed.” an old doctor droned on, Odagiri and Gamo nodding along attentively. “There’s a puncture wound in the neck. Judging by the angle and direction of the pencil, this,” he pointed at a few pictures of the scene, “was done by the victim herself. Same goes for the blood on her right hand. It wouldn’t look the way it does if it had been someone else who’d done it.” He looked at the two detectives gravely. “In other words, it was suicide.” 

“Fuck,” Sakuma muttered quietly, but not quietly enough, because the doctor took notice of him. 

“Ooh, I’ve never seen you around here before. You should introduce yourself,” the doctor smiled at him sweetly, though Sakuma felt like he was being made fun of somehow.

“I-I’m.. My name is… I’m Senior Detective Natsuo Sakuma. Sir.”

“Doctor Eisen Gonokami. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Senior Detective.” He grabbed Sakuma’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. He let go and hurriedly applied some hand sanitizer, and Sakuma rushed to do the same. 

“This still doesn’t explain the motive,” Gamo complained. “She lived a good 26 years after killing all those men. Why would she choose to commit suicide now?” 

“I’m not sure,” Dr. Gonokami smiled wryly. “Perhaps the owner of the pencil lodged in her neck could tell us.” 

* * *

Alain Lernier played with his wooden pencil in his right hand as he quietly graded his students’ assignments with his left. Old French songs filled up the room and added to the calming atmosphere of his office, and Alain happily whistled along to the music of his mother country. His peaceful little bubble was interrupted by an abrupt opening of the door, and two of the detectives he spoke to yesterday waltzed into the room like they owned the place. 

“You two ever hear of knocking?” He sighed irritably.

“My apologies, Professor,” a detective with reddish-brown hair smirked at him. “But my colleague just couldn’t wait to see you again. You’ll have to forgive his enthusiasm.”

“My what? Miyoshi I swear to God-” the shorter detective who’d caught Alain’s eye yesterday cussed his fellow detective out, and all that ferocity in such a tiny body was just _captivating_. Alain didn’t realize he was staring until the detective he guessed was Miyoshi cleared his throat sharply. 

“I’ll get straight to the point: What exactly did you and Tobisaki talk about yesterday morning?”

Alain quickly pulled out a recording device from his desk and pressed play, turning up the volume as high as it can go. 

From beginning to end, Miyoshi and Hatano listened to the entire recording in stunned silence. Lernier and Tobisaki both spoke in such pleasant tones that if neither detective spoke Japanese, they would’ve thought they were talking about common, everyday things such as neighborhood gossip or the weather, not murder. Tobisaki’s voice had a warm, maternal quality to it, despite the fact that she never had children. But Unit D had done their research, and they knew she had to play mother to her younger brother Hiroyuki Tobisaki when she was little more than a child herself...

* * *

“Hiroyuki’s second son will be celebrating his first birthday soon… Would you like to see the pictures he gave me?” Chizuru enthusiastically stood from her chair and pulled a thick photo album from her drawer. 

“Why, of course,” Alain had laughed pleasantly, and he’d cooed and awed at the appropriate times. 

“I’m so glad he turned out the way he did, even with me raising him,” she sighed wistfully at a particularly old and faded picture, in which younger versions of herself and her brother were grinning brightly at the camera. “You know, through it all, Hiroyuki was always there to support me. He knew I killed those men, but he never once said anything against me, not to my face at least.” Chizuru laughed at her own joke, a bright and happy sound that should’ve been disturbing coming from a criminal like her, and yet it wasn’t. “The first time I got arrested, he told the detectives who were set to interrogate me that I loved a particular brand of chocolate.”

“Ah, really? Which brand?”

“Well, it’s a really old brand, but since you’re foreign, I’m sure you’ll know it. It’s _À la Mère de Famille_.”

Alain whistled appreciatively. “You have excellent taste, _madame_. Their stuff is pricey but worth it.”

“Definitely,” she giggled. “I didn’t get to eat them too often back then, and Hiroyuki used to bring me some every time he visited but… But truthfully, they were never more divine than when I was being interrogated by that stupidly kind detective and his obnoxious coworker.” Alain perked up at that and urged her to continue. “He had the most honest blue eyes and black hair even more untamable than my brother’s, but he was very… kind. That’s really the only word I can think of for him. He even went as far as to plead on my behalf in court, and I’m positive he had a hand in the ridiculously light sentence they gave me.” 

She smirked, which dramatically changed her expression from soft to cruel. “He said he couldn’t blame me for it when he knew my reasoning. He was one of those honest types who were all about fairness and justice, but in such a way that… Well, he said they’d be more lenient on me when they’d find out my reasoning, and he was right. Though he must have been rolling in his grave when I killed the other guys!”

And she’d gone on to explain in full detail how and why she carried out her murders in 2000, and Alain hurriedly took notes in a messy scrawl only he could understand.

“I don’t regret killing a single one of those men, but I do regret getting caught. There was so much I missed out on… namely, Hiroyuki’s most important moments, like his graduation or his wedding. Truth be told, I think Mr. Shimano raised him far better than I ever could, but Hiroyuki still loved me nonetheless. I didn’t deserve it but he remained the filial little brother to me until he-.” She started crying at this point, and Alain went over to comfort her. “I just wish… I wish I had been a better sister to him. I wish I had been a lot more careful in doing what I did, so that I could have lived a happy life as his elder sister. And maybe I could’ve finally found a good boyfriend on my upteenth attempt, who knows? But I think… I think I- Nevermind...”

It was uncomfortably quiet, with Chizuru’s sniffling being the only sound in those minutes where neither of them spoke. Alain had tried to wrap up the interview nicely, and it did seem like he had managed to lift her mood a little. 

When he stood to leave, her soft face suddenly contorted into something maniacal. “From this moment on, I won’t be able to kill anyone else,” she remarked airily. “Say, Professor, if a murderer cannot kill, is there even a reason for them to live?”

* * *

Alain had dropped one of his pencils in shock, though he hadn’t realized it at the time. He hadn’t known how to answer, and so he fled the scene. Chizuru Tobisaki’s final words to him had plagued him for the rest of the day, and it had only gotten worse when he found out she had died soon after he left. 

He turned off the device and pushed it forward on his desk, an unspoken permission for the detectives to take it. His eyes were downcast and his lip was quivering so slightly they almost missed it. 

Miyoshi moved to pocket the recording device in a terribly awkward motion. Hatano wasn’t sure how he was supposed to move. On one hand, he wanted to comfort the good professor somehow, but he was certain the other man wanted to be left alone to his thoughts.

“Thank you for your time, Professor Lernier. We’ll make a copy of the recording and return the original to you by the end of the day.” Hatano bowed stiffly and walked out, and Miyoshi hurried out after him, not wanting to be left behind. 

Tazaki stood up when he felt the door open, his butt hurting from sitting on the floor for over an hour. He’d heard every single word uttered inside the professor’s office, and he looked just as disturbed as Miyoshi and Hatano felt. None of them spoke as they went to sit in the car to wait for the other group. 

The case of Chizuru Tobisaki was solved, but the ride back to the station was _unbearable._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> À la Mère de Famille is a Parisian brand of chocolate that’s been around since 1761. They only ship in France and throughout Europe, but in this fictional universe, they’ve expanded worldwide and are semi popular in Japan. I picked it mainly because of the translation, which is (loosely) ‘To the Mother.’
> 
> Dakarusibo - derived from “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. It’s a famous American play from the 1950s that was about the Salem Witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, USA in the 1690s. The play is an allegory for the Red Scare that swept America in the 1950s during the Cold War against the former Soviet Union.
> 
> Seiremu- derived from Salem. 
> 
> The restaurant they went to was fucking McDonalds, and both versions of Miyoshi hate it lol.
> 
> Dr. Kentaro Sakurai and Dr. Eisen Gonokami are both OCs created specifically for their roles as “Head of Sociology/Alain’s mentor” and “Head Forensics Doctor” respectively, since I couldn’t think of anyone from Joker Game’s character roster to insert here. Well, one of them is an adaptation of a canonical character but I won’t elaborate on that >:)


	8. Five

Fukumoto looked on cheerfully as Sakuma wolfed down the tanuki udon Unit D’s unofficial chef had prepared for lunch. It pleased him to see someone enjoy his cooking this much. Odagiri alternated between watching Sakuma in fascination (the man was eating like it was his last meal) and looking at memes on his phone. Jitsui and Gamo were locked away in a specific closet none of the other detectives ever dared to enter, because their resident couple had desecrated said closet time and time again. Amari was out running errands with Yuuki, and by errands, it meant that he had gone with Yuuki to try and negotiate more funds for Unit D. The remaining detectives were locked in an intense round of Candyland, and it seemed like either Miyoshi or Tazaki might win. 

It was around 1 o’clock in the afternoon when Yuuki and Amari came back with a third person in tow, though Yuuki instructed them to hang back just outside the office. Gamo and Jitsui were still in their closet, and the unpleasant task of fetching them fell to Amari, who was relieved to find that the couple weren’t doing anything gross, just cuddling, and that they were fully clothed, which Amari considered an early Christmas miracle. The ones who were playing Candyland groaned when Miyoshi emerged as the victor.

Yuuki stood tall at his desk and cleared his throat, and the detectives scurried to their seats. “Ok, you can come in now,” he called out to the person outside the door. They shuffled inside awkwardly, and hurried to stand next to Yuuki. 

The person’s identity made the detectives murmur excitedly amongst themselves. 

“Starting today, Professor Alain Lernier will be assisting our team as a criminal psychologist.” He turned to Alain and opened his mouth to say something but-

“Hey Prof!” Kaminaga smirked. “Hatano wants you to draw him like one of your French girls!” Several of the detectives giggled, even Sakuma, though he didn’t fully understand the joke. 

“RYUJI KAMINAGA YOU ARE SO DEAD!” Hatano stomped over to Kaminaga’s desk to give him what would have been the beating of a lifetime had Tazaki not intervened, putting himself as a shield between the two to protect Kaminaga. Hatano was debating whether or not he wanted to fight Tazaki as well when a heavenly sound reached his ears and made his head spin. 

Alain Lernier was doubled over in laughter, clutching his sides and his expression was just so  _ happy _ Hatano just had to stop and stare. Some of the other detectives smirked as Hatano’s mouth opened a little and his cheeks started turning just the slightest hint of pink. None of them felt like teasing him for it, at least not outright. Odagiri began spamming the group chat with jokes about this new development, and Gamo eagerly joined in with memes of his own. Hatano’s dumb lovestruck face was already immortalized in Unit D’s memory, but it helped that a brave Fukumoto captured it on camera and Odagiri promptly used it as the new group image, which caused a ripple of laughter in the room. 

Kaminaga could only sigh in relief, grateful he’d live to annoy Hatano another day. Tazaki rolled his eyes and pulled the mischievous detective away from the scene as subtly as he could.  _ To think I actually like this idiot _ , he chuckled fondly. 

Alain’s laughter was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing. Hatano snapped out of his trance and tried to act casual, but everyone could see how flustered he looked. 

“Well, is anyone going to answer?” Yuuki looked around the room annoyed. The detectives started yelling at each other to “answer that damn phone” and through their arguing, the shrill ringing of the phone could still be heard clearly. Tazaki reluctantly stepped away from Kaminaga and answered it, resigned to the fact that no one else would. 

“This is Violent Crime Unit D of Tomusawa Police Station, Tazaki speaking…. Yes… Yes…” Tazaki sounded more and more worried by the second, and the detectives instantly stopped their bickering. “I see… Ok.” Tazaki hung up and turned to the others, frowning. “On Mt. Imosuta, they found chopped up body parts.”

“Yikes!” Alain grimaced, and a few detectives nodded in agreement. 

The detectives rushed to the scene, and Alain chose to go back to his office. Even though he was set to help them, he didn’t see the need to go with them right this moment. Besides, Yuuki had told him he’d be called in only if it was a case Unit D would be unable to solve without him. What’s more, he had a class to teach later today, so he decided he’d prepare for that instead, though he was looking forward to them catching the criminal.  _ I hope they’ll let me interview them,  _ he mused cheerfully as he settled into his peaceful office.

* * *

Unit D trudged through the snow, and impressively enough, not a single one of them complained about the cold. Sakuma’s teeth were chattering like crazy, but he didn’t dare voice his discomfort. He hated coming here to this mountain back in his time, and those feelings hadn’t changed one bit. He was really annoyed at Yuuki, who had ditched the cane, for being able to handle the cold with ease. And he was even more annoyed at himself for not realizing that the cane was only a prop this whole time, but it was a good thing for what little dignity he had left that Sakuma was able to keep a straight face.  _ Hehe, ‘straight.’ _

A police officer ran to the approaching group and saluted. “A hiker found the body and reported it a few hours ago at around 10 a.m. Only a few parts of the body were found.”

“Why does it look like that?” Miyoshi wrinkled his nose in disgust. The severed leg the forensics crew was currently observing was covered in dirt and fresh scratches, which would definitely be a hindrance to their investigation. (But unlike the rookies and failed trainees Sakuma remembered, Miyoshi didn’t look disgusted in the “can’t stand to be around corpses” kind of way, but more like the disgust one feels towards the minor inconveniences of life, such as a red light on your way home from a long day at work.)

“The hiker’s dog dug it up,” the officer replied. “Once we came here, we preserved the scene and have been guarding it well.” Yuuki nodded tiredly and the others approached the scene to gather evidence, taking pictures and formulating theories on what could have happened.

Sakuma sat down on a nearby tree stump and watched them quietly. _ I need to find my way back _ , he sighed.  _ Maybe if I can find the real Natsuo Sakuma, I’ll get some answers. But where did he go? I remember seeing him that night but since then… _

“We need to identify the body before anything else,” Odagiri grumbled beside him as he moved the black plastic bag that was partially covering the foot aside.

“Where would the other parts be?” Hatano wondered out loud.

“Start the search from the trails then spread out. Take special note of the black plastic bags,” Yuuki commanded the police’s search team through a walkie-talkie he had taken from the nearest officer. 

“Understood,” the search team’s leader replied, his voice a little staticy but still clear. 

Fukumoto knelt down by the leg and took a few sniffs. “The body’s been here for a month.” 

What the fuck? Sakuma looked at him in disbelief. Kaminaga laughed at his dumbstruck expression. “Fukumom has a great sense of smell, almost like a dog!”

“First of all, don’t call me that. Second, I’m not a dog! Also, Sakuma-san, do wipe that weird look off your face. It really takes away from your otherwise attractive features.” Sakuma turned bright red at the weird compliment, and Kaminaga laughed even harder. 

“To think that the culprit would discard the body so easily like it was yesterday’s garbage,” Gamo muttered and shook his head sadly. His comment brought the three detectives’ attention back to the murder at hand. 

“Report to me when you find the body,” Yuuki told them and left to escape the cold for the sweet, sweet warmth of a car with a decent heater, though none of them had any way of knowing that. 

“Let’s go Ryuji. It’ll be quicker to look at the surveillance recordings.” Tazaki popped up behind them, and Sakuma tried not to jump. 

“Sure!” Kaminaga cheerfully let himself be pulled away. “Later, guys!”

“Later lovebirds! Don’t forget to use protection!” Hatano called out, and Tazaki quickly flipped him off before turning back to Kaminaga with a tense smile on his face. Kaminaga also blushed a little but quickly recovered, and the two hurriedly made their way to where the cars were parked, both equally embarrassed but desperately trying to hide it from each other and everyone else. Sakuma smiled as he watched them leave, the awkwardness too cute to ignore. 

He stood up to stretch, but it really just a front for his sad attempt to get warmer through exercise. As he stretched, he happened to look down, and promptly froze. 

The forensics had backed up, giving him a better view of the severed leg, and his eyes focused on the foot. More specifically, on the heel.  _ There’s no way… _

“Excuse me.” He pushed past a few people and leaned down to get a better look. No, it can’t be… He brushed some of the dirt aside and gasped at what he had uncovered. Right on the heel, there were 5 perfect little black dots.

_ “Doctor, this body has six dots on her heel.” _

_ “Wait, six? But shouldn’t it be five?” _

Sakuma thought back to all the files he had painstakingly studied that night and the weeks following.  _ If the body’s only been here for a month, then that means… Well, this explains why we couldn’t find the 5th body. They were alive this whole time! _ Sakuma allowed himself a tiny relieved smile. Miyoshi caught it, and he leaned in to whisper something in Hatano’s ear, making the latter grin mischievously. 

Whap! “What the hell!” Sakuma cried out as a snowball hit him in the head, thankfully on the opposite side from his injury. He looked up to see Miyoshi and Hatano wearing matching evil smiles, and Sakuma wore a smile of his own as he watched them get scolded by the other detectives, Odagiri and Amari especially. 

He stood up and shook the remaining bits of snow from his hair.  _ What kind of coincidence is this? Is this what I’m here for? To solve this case that's exactly like the one I was close to solving before I ended up in this confusing future? _ Sakuma cursed the forces of the universe for being so stupid and complicated.  _ Is this how you want to play? Alright, I’ll solve this case, and I better be able to go back when it’s over!  _ He marched through the snow, and his anger was more than enough to keep the cold at bay.

* * *

“Good afternoon, everyone!” Alain beamed at his students as they settled into their seats. He got greetings and attendance out of the way and pulled up a slideshow for today’s lesson. 

The students grimaced as he clicked through various images from an old murder case depicting a woman who was horribly injured and was tied up with thick rope. “How scary!” a girl near the front whispered to her friend. 

Alain moved to the center of the room and smiled.. “Think fast!” He threw something at the girl who’d whispered, and she somehow managed to catch it. “Tie up the wrists of the girl next to you,” he ordered her in a friendly tone, his smile not wavering even once. The students weren’t sure whether to find that smile reassuring or terrifying. 

The girl obeyed, her hands shaking erratically as she struggled to do what Alain asked with the roll of tape he’d thrown at her. He smiled in approval when she finished. 

“Let’s suppose the victim was killed after being tied up with tape. What would the murder do with what’s leftover?” The students eagerly began firing off answers.

“Throw it away!”

“It could be discovered. They should burn it.”

“They can use it all up by taping it anywhere else. Tape is a common object so it won’t be suspicious.”

Alain smirked. He was delighted at how engaged his students were in the subject. The earlier portion of his class was basic biology, chemistry, and psychology, and he applauded the students who lasted through the ‘boring’ part of the class, because now they were getting into the true nature of criminology.

“Those are all good answers, but let’s ask the murderer herself.” He turned to the girl. “What would you do?”

“I- I think I’d hang on to it,” she replied nervously. “I’ll use it again later anyway.”

Some of the students giggled at her response. 

“She sounds like a true murderer!”

“I know, right? 

“I’m so glad I didn’t drop this class. This is fun!”

“Dude, you only stayed because the professor’s young and hot.”

“S-shut up!”

Alain rolled his eyes and tried to ignore them. “In addition,” he purposely made his voice louder so the talkative students would shut up, but kept his tone gentle for the sake of the student he was addressing, “The tape will help you remember every moment of the murder.” He walked back to his podium. “For the rest of the year, we’ll be studying the mnemonic system of murders.” He said it so cheerfully the students were a little unnerved, but they were still excited at the interesting turn their class had taken.

* * *

Sakuma’s mind raced as he sat quietly in the back row of one of Unit D’s Range Rovers. This time, Miyoshi was behind the wheel, Amari was in the passenger seat, and Odagiri, Fukumoto, and Hatano were in the middle row. Other than Miyoshi and Sakuma, the others were stuck without their assigned partners. Kaminaga and Tazaki were reviewing any surveillance footage from the area, and Jitsui and Gamo chose to stay behind at the scene for a little longer, though they all suspected they were going to sneak off when they were done. 

Sakuma was mildly offended he’d been left to sit in the back by himself, but at the same time he was relieved since he was free to zone out. And that’s exactly what he did the entire ride to Dakarusibo’s Medical College.

* * *

“Looking at the damage to the skin and its decomposition, I’d say it’s been 25 to 30 days, give or take,” Dr. Gonokami explained to the three detectives in his examination room. Miyoshi and Gamo nodded attentively, while Sakuma stood awkwardly to the side. Fukumoto had taken a taxi back to the station while Odagiri chose to go home for a while, for reasons unknown to Sakuma. Hatano, meanwhile, had disappeared as soon as Miyoshi had parked the car, but no one seemed too worried. “He’s clearly going to visit that professor he likes,” Gamo had told him when he noticed Sakuma’s concern. 

“Thanks to the low temperature of the mountain, it decomposed at a much slower rate than normal,” Gonokami continued. “And judging by the length of the patella and the tibia, the victim was about 5’3”, maybe 5’4”. If it helps, the victim’s foot was 9 inches long, so they were a size 6 in mens’ shoes or 6.5 in womens’. Most likely a woman, though, based on the bone structure.” 

_ It was definitely a woman _ , Sakuma wanted to say, but he held his tongue. They'd only say "How do you know?" and he couldn't exactly say, "because the killer from 1986 only targeted women… well, except for me since I chased him…"  _ Yeah that sounds stupid. Better just keep quiet. _

“I see,” Miyoshi murmured. “I’ll look into people who went missing this month, particularly women.”

“That’s a super clean cut,” Gamo remarked, pointing to the top of the leg. "Human bones would be hard to cut, so a clean cut like this… I'm guessing the culprit used a powerful tool like a chainsaw, maybe.”

“Rather, I think it would have been an engine saw or a bandsaw. Those are powerful enough that they could cut the bone in one go,” Gonokami suggested, and Miyoshi and Gamo nodded in approval.

"This helps us narrow down the suspect’s occupation,” Miyoshi added. “Perhaps they’re in landscaping, carpentry, or construction…”

“Right.”

Throughout this whole exchange, Sakuma stayed fixated on the 5 dots, completely tuning everyone else out. He didn’t realize how zoned out he was until Gonokami waved his hand in Sakuma’s face. “Everything okay, Detective?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that… well, those dots…”

“What about them?” Miyoshi cut in. He and Gamo had assumed it was a tattoo, but it didn’t seem gang affiliated so they had dismissed it. So why is Sakuma-san so interested in that mark?

“I only remember bits and pieces,” Sakuma started lying, “but I think a while back I was looking into this one case from 30 years ago-”

“Thirty years? Seriously? Sakuma-san, if it’s from that long ago then telling us about it is pointless.”

“Besides,” Gamo added. “It’s probably just a tattoo. Kind of a lame one, but hey, to each their own.”

Sakuma wanted to strangle them both, but he somehow managed to wear the look of a little boy who’s been properly scolded, and this was enough to appease the other detectives. “Sorry, I have a tendency to overthink things. You guys are probably right.” 

“Probably?”

“Yes, probably.”  _ No, you’re wrong! I know I’m right! This 30-year-old case might be old and useless to you, but it was- no,  _ **_is_ ** _ \- everything to me! I know there’s a connection here, I just need to figure it out!  _ He didn’t say any of this out loud, of course.

“Whatever, we’re leaving. Thanks, Doctor!” Gamo grabbed both detectives by the wrists and led them out the door. Gonokami laughed at the scene and went back to his work.

* * *

Alain Lernier stepped out of his car and into the cold. He took in the sight before him: police cars parked in the snow and a small group of detectives huddling together as they discussed their new case. His temporary I.D. issued to him by Detective Yuuki earlier that morning allowed him to go past the yellow caution tape with ease. 

He walked through the snow and enjoyed the sound the snow made under his boots as well as the overall beauty of the mountain. He even bumped into Yuuki on the way to the main scene, and they nodded at each other in greeting as they walked past each other. But then Alain stopped in his tracks when his phone rang, blasting his [song name] ringtone at full volume, which embarrassed him into answering it on the first ring. 

“You’re usually in your office after your [day of the week] class. Are you at the station?” Dr. Sakurai asked him, his voice light with amusement. Alain was no shut-in, but even outside of his office hours he liked to be in his office; for him to be out wasn’t rare but Sakurai was still curious. 

“No, I’m at the scene. Yuuki suggested I come and look at it for myself but I’m not needed just yet.”

“Why would he- shouldn’t he have waited until they at least had their key suspect?”

“I just agreed because I thought it’d be fun to follow this case from the beginning. I don’t mind simply observing from afar.”

“Well, if you say so. I have a meeting soon so I'll call you later, okay?”

At this point, Alain had made it to the scene, and he paused. He pulled up the photos Yuuki had sent him and compared them to the scene as it was right now. “It was buried really shallow,” he muttered.

“Pardon?” Oh shoot, he heard that! 

“Nothing. Yes, we’ll talk later. Bye!” Alain quickly hung up before Sakurai could ask what he’d been muttering about. He looked at the scene again and sighed. “The killer didn’t care if the body was found or not…”

* * *

Miyoshi leaned back in his chair and groaned. His eyes hurt from staring at his computer all day, and even his glasses were not much help. He wanted to keep going through the Missing Persons Database, but he also valued his beauty too much to continue. Though I wouldn’t have needed to be working so hard if someone had been doing his fair share of the work, he grumbled. 

He looked up at Detective Sakuma’s desk, where the newbie in question was staring blankly at his own computer. Is he even working? Miyoshi asked himself. He expected better from a Senior Detective, and this blatant laziness was seriously getting on his nerves. As the higher in ranking, Sakuma should be working more efficiently to set the example for the rest. Not only that, but it just did not add up. Detective Natsuo Sakuma was said to have worked relentlessly to solve the most difficult cases in his former department, so why was he slacking off in Unit D of all places? It irritated Miyoshi on a deeply spiritual level to see someone who had the honor of being in Tomusawa’s best detective unit to just… sit there. 

And the worst part? None of the other detectives seemed to care. They were all absorbed in their own tasks to notice or care how Sakuma was doing absolutely nothing. He could have been socializing and Miyoshi would’ve been annoyed, but he also would have brushed it off easily enough. But no, Sakuma was little more than a statue sitting pretty at his desk, and that blank look on his face grated on Miyoshi’s nerves. 

He supposed he could chalk it up to his fatigue, but then again, wasn’t the whole reason Miyoshi was tired because he did all the work that Sakuma should’ve helped out with? “That’s it, I’m going to give that stupid newbie a piece of my mind.” Miyoshi stood up to do just that, but at that moment, Kaminaga and Tazaki walked in. 

“Did you find anything?” Sakuma greeted them cheerfully, a total contrast from the bored look he had earlier. What the hell? He has some nerve-

“We found surveillance footage from a restaurant just by the foot of Mt. Imosuta,” Kaminaga replied. He pulled Tazaki’s chair for him, which was unusually polite coming from Kaminaga, and Miyoshi filed that away for later teasing. 

Once Tazaki was seated, Kaminaga stood behind him and held on to the chair, apparently trying to look as casual as possible. He continued, “I noticed that there were hardly any security cams available for that part of town.”

“It’s no wonder the police were finding so many dismembered limbs in that area,” Tazaki added. “It’s removed from the busiest parts of the city  _ and _ there’s no cameras. I’d hide my corpses there, too.”

They started discussing their theories again, revising and arguing over all the new information they’d gathered. And again, Miyoshi was the only one who noticed Sakuma’s lack of participation, but he reluctantly kept his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to call him out, Miyoshi was only going to look like the asshole in the team’s eyes, and he didn’t want Yuuki to lecture him about playing nice. But at the very least, he’d have to keep a sharp eye on their newest member, and since it was practically a given that they were partners now, Miyoshi could do so without looking suspicious.  _ Something about him just doesn’t feel right, and I’m going to find out exactly what it is. _

* * *

While Miyoshi and the others had been going about their investigation, all Sakuma could really do was sit there. Luckily, no one seemed to notice, so he was free and alone with his thoughts. 

_ So it’s pretty much established that this is the same as before… The victims were all in their late teens to early 20s, but 30 years have passed, so by now she’d be in her late 40s to early 50s. After her encounter with the killer, she must have left Tomusawa out of fear. But then how was her body found here? Did the killer happen to track her down and bring her back to finish what he started? No, that can’t be it…  _

Sakuma felt someone glaring at him from a distance, and he didn’t need to turn to tell it was Miyoshi. Just what does he have against me, anyway? Sakuma knew he could be oblivious at times, but he’d have to be a special kind of idiot to not notice how Miyoshi couldn’t stand him.  _ I thought he was over our first encounter… He did have Hatano throw that snowball at me, but that was just messing around, right? _ Sakuma tried to shake off that uncomfortable sensation of someone looking at you like they wanted to set you on fire. 

_ Ok, back to the victim… It’s obvious that she did move away because not only did we not find a fifth body, we never knew about the alleged fifth victim until the one with 6 dots was found. However, she must have come back only recently, and she must have felt safe in doing so because she’s aged and the killer wouldn’t have recognized her. _ Sakuma was a little frustrated that she never reported the incident, but he could understand why a young girl would be too spooked to do so. 

There was so much he needed to look into, but he couldn’t count on a single one of these detectives. They’d wonder how he knows so much about an old case, and if he told the truth they’d never believe it, and it’d make him that much more suspicious, since he was just  _ barely  _ holding up the amnesia act.  _ I’ll just have to investigate everything on my own. _ It would be extremely difficult however, since Sakuma was used to having Yuuki or Honma by his side in every case he’s ever done. To do it all on his own in an unfamiliar place in time would be impossible, but Sakuma wasn’t going to let that stop him from trying.  _ I’ll do whatever it takes if it means I get to go back home. _ He pressed his hand on his chest, and all he felt was emptiness where Katsuhiko’s whistle should have been. _ I’m going to go back to him _ , Sakuma vowed to himself.  _ I  _ **_will_ ** _ do it, no matter what. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Mt. Imosuta - name is derived from the word “imposter” because of the game Among Us. 
> 
> Yeah it’s me… I honestly have no excuse for not updating this in well over a month since I had plenty of free time lmao. Writer’s block was kicking my ass for a while, but I recently wrote some Hatano-centric drabbles and a really shitty one-sided Sakumiyo thread on Twitter that had me writing again. 
> 
> Honestly, this chapter is… not the best… I mean, I liked how I had it up until I went into how Miyoshi feels his distrust against Sakuma growing. In the original the detective makes himself far more suspicious than he needed to be and he has poor backing for the information he presents, so I was like “Fuck that” and changed it for my own personal taste. (Also, if the original, Park Kwangho had been among the Unit D detectives, his ass would’ve been found out by the end of his first day tbh.) But I digress. It’s so difficult keeping up with both the original plot and staying consistent with my own changes, like the amnesia storyline and Sakuma realizing that ‘Yuuki-senpai’ could still be alive. 
> 
> And the ending line is so cheesy I want to cry but I would like to blame Attack on Titan for that because I was watching the reveal scene from Season 2 and I was inspired by a character’s motivation to return to their home. Honestly, I had to bully myself into opening the file I have for this chapter and actually writing in it, but here it is. I’m praying it’s not too horrible lol


End file.
